Strome confident Ducks can reach 'the next level' after busy offseason

TORONTO -- Ryan Strome has loved everything about his time with the Anaheim Ducks, except one thing.

The lack of winning.

“I just think that the last three years have been pretty tough,” Strome told NHL.com at the 11th annual Smilezone Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club in Brampton, Ontario, on Monday. “The year before I came to Anaheim, I was with the (New York) Rangers and we went to the Conference Final. I kind of knew Anaheim was at a different stage but losing kind of wears on you. So now to see some light at the end of the tunnel and to see us trying to turn that corner and make the right moves to take that next step is exciting to see it through.”

The forward is entering the fourth season of a five-year contract he signed with Anaheim on July 13, 2022. The first two saw the Ducks finish with 58 and 59 points, respectively, but last season saw them take a jump, finishing with a 21-point improvement at 80.

Anaheim has not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017-18, but the way general manager Pat Verbeek has operated during the offseason provides reason for optimism and suggests he wants to see the playoff drought end as soon as this season.

“It’s been a lot of hard work the last couple years but to see the optimism about the young players and a new coach, it’s exciting,” Strome said. “When you have that feeling going into camp that the sky’s the limit, it’s a good feeling. It’s a great place to play and place to live and if we can add winning to that equation, it will be even more awesome.”

Verbeek’s first move of significance came April 19 when he fired coach Greg Cronin after two seasons and replaced him with three-time Stanley Cup champion Joel Quenneville on May 8. Strome said he sees similarities with the Ducks compared to where the Chicago Blackhawks were in 2008 and Florida Panthers in 2019 when Quenneville was hired to coach those teams.

“Anytime you have a coach with that much success at different teams, his whole career, everywhere he’s gone, he’s won,” Strome said. “He’s been on the verge of the up and up whether it’s Chicago, Florida, I think the similarities to our group are there with each group with the young talent and young core. I’m excited. You don’t get to play for legendary coaches everyday in your career.

“Coaches come and go in this League and they get fired very quickly. When you get one like 'Q,' you have to take advantage and learn as much as you can.”

On June 12, the Ducks acquired forward Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, then signed forward Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent.

Kreider, 34, scored 22 goals in 68 games last season, 52 in 81 games in 2021-22 and has 326 in 883 NHL games. Strome, who was a teammate of Kreider’s with the Rangers from 2018-22, said his acquisition is another sign that expectations have been raised.

“(He will bring) a lot of leadership,” Strome said. “He’s calm, very professional. He’s had a lot of success, is very poised, and he’s had a high pedigree of winning and individual success and any time you inject someone like that into your lineup, it just oozes and bleeds off onto everybody what he brings. It’s also a sign of the times in the sense we are trying to add to the group and take a step. It sends a great message to the fan base, players and everyone in between and hopefully we can match this optimism with play on the ice.”

Granlund, 33, had 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists) in 83 games for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars last season.

The two forwards should help add offense to a team that struggled to score last season, finishing 30th in goals with 217.

“It’s similar to the Kreider situation," Strome said. "When you inject someone like that into your lineup, it sends a message to everybody that we are here to take a step, we are spending some money, bringing in talent to surround our young guys with some help. It’s great to have young youth and optimism, but you need veterans and they really help smooth that learning curve for guys. He’s going to be able to do that because he’s had a great long career, a lot of consistent success and I think he will be great for a guy like Leo Carlsson.”

The Ducks have yet to re-sign restricted free agent forward Mason McTavish, who set career highs last season in goals (22), assists (30) and points (52). The 22-year-old has 140 points (60 goals, 80 assists) in 229 NHL games.

Strome said he is confident an agreement will be reached prior to training camp.

“He will (get a contract done). He’s a [heck] of a player, he’s a big part of what we are trying to do,” Strome said. “To have a young centerman in this league, they are hard to come by and he does a lot of things you can’t teach: score goals, win face-offs, he’s big and heavy and strong. He’s going to have a long career, very successful, and hopefully that is resolved soon. But I have no doubt. I think it’s a great fit, Anaheim and him. He fits in great to what we are trying to do and accomplish. He’s a big part of it.”

To Strome's point, McTavish has been part of a young core that already includes forwards Troy Terry, Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier, as well as defensemen Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov, each of whom is 27 years old or younger.

And with Kreider and Granlund adding to a growing veteran presence that includes forwards Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano, and defensemen Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas, Strome believes the Ducks have the tools to end their playoff drought.

“It’s time for us players now to take a step and put some responsibility on our plates to bring it into the season,” Strome said. “We have all the help in the world now with these veteran guys and a coach like (Quenneville) to help us reach this next level.”