Arizona Coyotes Return Dylan Strome To Erie Otters

The Arizona Coyotes are sending 2015 third overall pick Dylan Strome back to the Erie Otters of the OHL.

Dylan Strome‘s debut with the Arizona Coyotes was an abbreviated one.

After just seven games played the 19-year-old is returning to Erie.

For Strome, the news ends a tumultuous early campaign that saw him in the lineup with little regularity.

He played three games in a row on two occasions, but was never quite given the free reign in the lineup that counterparts Jakob Chychrun and Lawson Crouse have seen in a Coyotes jersey.

Part of that is on Dylan Strome.

His skating is still questionable and his play style gives the impression he is just floating out there.

On the flip side, the Arizona Coyotes are offense starved and Strome did provide a spark of creativity on several nights.

Unfortunately, Strome plays for Dave Tippett and for better or worse he is defense oriented. #20 is not reliable defensively and that pretty well doomed him from the start.

Here’s the Arizona Coyotes’ press release on the move:

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have assigned center Dylan Strome to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

The 19-year-old Strome collected an assist and averaged 13:41 of ice time in seven games with the Coyotes this season.“Dylan has made exceptional progress and continues to make strides to being an elite center in this league,” said Chayka. “At this point in time we felt it was best for his development to get him back playing in junior, but his future in the NHL is very bright.”The 6-foot-3, 194-pound native of Mississauga, Ontario was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

General Manager John Chayka has gone to great lengths on multiple occasions to stress the Yotes are happy with Strome and there is no need to panic.

Management speak or not, I agree.

He didn’t get much time to shine but Dylan Strome showed he can create offense in the NHL.

Strome lacks the size and skating ability to compete right now.

If the lack of speed is going to be a permanent detriment to his game, he needs to at least have the size to compensate. In the meantime, Dawn Braid and company can work on getting him a little more steady on his blades for next season.

Next: Coyotes Should Call Up Brendan Perlini From Tucson

This isn’t the last we’ll hear of Dylan Strome.

His return to Erie is a minor setback. Don’t panic.