Ducks send Ryan Strome to Flames for draft pick in deadline deal

ANAHEIM — The Ducks and center Ryan Strome parted ways at Friday’s NHL trade deadline, when the team dealt him to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round draft pick.

Strome, 32, had been a favorite in the stands and locker room alike since arriving to the club as a free-agent signing in 2022. Yet after three straight seasons with identical point totals, 41 apiece, Strome had played in just over half the team’s games this year between injuries, illness and healthy scratches peppered into that mix of maladies. He had just nine points in 33 games and will try to improve his output as the Flames stampede through the rest of what projects to be a non-playoff campaign.

“Ryan was an ultimate professional, I mean, he showed a lot of character,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “In this instance, he got injured at the start of training camp and ended up being out of the lineup for six weeks.”

“The team was winning, and it’s difficult for any player trying to come into that scenario to try and carve out a role,” he continued. “He was chasing it; he was in a tough position. Being healthy and being scratched from time to time, it’s certainly not the best for the player.”

Strome was part of a vital line just last season, centering Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry as part of a two-way trio that was counted on to play against top opponents and come up with big goals by former coach Greg Cronin. Under Joel Quenneville and with a much deeper group up front, both Vatrano and Strome have struggled to get in where they fit in this season, with injuries playing a role in both players’ relative waywardness.

While Vatrano was back in the mix and had a triumphant return to the lineup in Wednesday’s victory over the New York Islanders, when Strome recorded an assist, Strome’s future and role were less certain. The decision was made to give him a more ample role elsewhere.

“For Ryan, he’s been just an outstanding person. From my perspective, we looked at it to get Ryan an opportunity to go to a team where he’s going to be able to play and contribute to that team in a meaningful way,” Verbeek said. “As a player, I’ve been in his chair, and I understand exactly where he’s coming from, it’s important to play and not sit out.”

Of note is that Strome, who had no trade protection and whose contract was jettisoned without salary retention, made $5 million against the cap this year and next. With Jackson LaCombe’s hefty extension kicking in and core stars Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier heading toward even bigger raises this summer as restricted free agents, that money could come in handy.

The Ducks also have to make decisions regarding RFA defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger. Additionally, veteran rearguards Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas and John Carlson, whom the Ducks acquired late Thursday night from the Washington Capitals in a marquee swap, are unrestricted free agents to be.

More to come on this story.