Rangers, Strome settle on 2-year deal

The New York Rangers and forward Ryan Strome will not need arbitration, as the two sides settled on a two-year contract, the team announced Friday.

The deal carries an annual cap hit of $4.5 million, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Strome's arbitration hearing was scheduled for Thursday. The two sides were reportedly set to enter the process over $2 million apart.

The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2019-20, racking up 59 points in 70 games while primarily playing alongside Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin.

Strome was originally selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in 2011. He showed promise with 50 points in his sophomore campaign, but he averaged just 32 points over his next four seasons prior to 2019-20.

The Blueshirts acquired the pivot from the Edmonton Oilers in November 2018 in exchange for Ryan Spooner.

The Rangers have $6.4 million remaining in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly. However, they still need to sign restricted free agent Brendan Lemieux. The two sides are reportedly set to enter Friday's arbitration hearing roughly $1 million apart.

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