Dylan Strome signed a five-year extension with the Washington Capitals last week. The deal pays him $5 million annually and will keep him in DC through the 2027-28 season.

The 25-year-old forward met with the media for the first time on Thursday since putting pen to paper.

“I think the team saw something in me and believes, like myself, that I’m only gonna get better over the next 5 years,” Strome started. “They put faith in me. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited the team believes in me enough to sign me to that deal. I’m really happy to be here.”

The Capitals initially signed Strome as a restricted free agent over the offseason to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. Adding a top-six center, who can also play on the wing, gave the Capitals insurance and flexibility with Nicklas Backstrom trying to return from major hip resurfacing surgery.

Strome was not tendered a qualifying offer by the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, which is why he was available on the open market.

“I think just the course of my career has been bounced around a little bit, obviously with Arizona not working out and things that happened in Chicago,” Strome said. “I played four years there but only on a two-year deal and things like that. You’re kind of coming in and out of the lineup.

“When someone offers you that, it’s obviously something great to hear,” he continued. “When they reached out, obviously very excited. Really looking forward to it and just thankful a team believed in me. Though it’s been 50 games I’m excited to do it for five more years.”

Strome has scored 11 goals and tallied 25 assists in 52 games this season. He has spent much of the year centering Alex Ovechkin and Conor Sheary on the team’s first line. It’s a combination that has worked wonders for both Strome and the Capitals.

All three players are within the top four on the team in overall scoring.

Top forward lines by goal % with at least 200 minutes played together 5 on 5 https://t.co/N0eMdvBNhI pic.twitter.com/TfdTWIVs4b

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) January 28, 2023

“Playing with number eight helps,” Strome said. “I think we connect well together. We had Shears for a little while. I think just his attention to detail and the way he shoots the puck and gets open and kinda demands the best of his linemates. That’s something every player wants.

“I had the same thing with Patrick Kane in Chicago,” he added. “They’re very similar players in the fact they demand a lot out of their linemates. They’re great players. They want other players around them to be great. He gets that from a lot of the players he plays with. It’s fun to play with a guy like that.”

Outside of his most common linemates, Strome says the overall fit with the Caps is attractive to him and a major reason why he was so ready to commit a large portion of the prime of his career to the team.

“I think I just like the way we play,” Strome said. “We focus a lot on offense. Great defensemen. Great goaltending, which has been a constant this year. We really talk about offense a lot and new ways to score goals. They take pride in the power play here. The offensive side is something that looks great to me. It’s been an easy fit for me so far and I’m excited to extend that for five more years.”

With his new deal, Strome has become the sole player on the Caps signed through the 2027-28 campaign. He also joins just Ovechkin, Sonny Milano, John Carlson, and Darcy Kuemper as players with contracts through 2025-26.

Strome and Milano are both on the younger side of the roster and will be part of the new core moving forward.

“That’s obviously something that goes into when you sign long-term but at the same time, there are aspirations for this team a lot sooner than that,” Strome said. “We’re building towards that and it’s been a pretty good year. I think we’ve got a lot of hard work cut out for us in the second half – to really establish ourselves and become a playoff team. These guys know better than anyone you just have to get into the playoffs and anything can happen from there. That’s what I’m kind of focusing on now and looking forward to that.”

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB