If Ryan Strome indeed leaves the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent this summer, his Blueshirts swan song was 8:46 of ice time in Game 6, nine minutes he gutted out with a pelvis injury that may or may not require surgery (he’ll find out on Tuesday).
Strome is hoping, though, that appearance isn’t it for him on Broadway.
“Obviously my heart’s here. I think the last four years I’ve tried to pour everything into this thing on and off the ice as much as I could, but whatever happens, happens,” Strome said in his end-of-season press meeting.
“I can’t predict the future, but all I know is I love these guys and we have some unfinished business, and this team is destined for great things in the future. We’ll see what happens, it’s a little emotional, honestly. It’s a great group of guys, and I hope there’s more.”
Strome posted 21 goals and 33 assists in 74 games this past season, and he added nine more points in the postseason. The former Islander and Oiler has 71 goals and 124 assists (plus two goals and nine assists in the postseason) over four years as a Ranger, and he’s hoping that his next deal will be much more long-term than the two-year pact he is finishing up.
“My longest deal has been my entry-level contract, so hopefully it’s a little longer than that. But we’ll see,” Strome said.
The Rangers have a bit of a cap crunch coming and quite a few free agents to decide on, so nothing is certain – except Strome’s desire to remain an “adopted New Yorker,” even knowing that his next destination could be elsewhere.
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“I spent most of my twenties in New York, and my first choice is still to be a New York Ranger,” he said. “I think I’ve given them the indication that’s my feeling. If that’s not the case, we’ll cross the bridge when it comes to it. I don’t know what to expect because I’ve never been through this, but we’ll see what happens. This business is crazy and things can change at any given moment.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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