Analysis: Strome and Perlini for Schmaltz

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini from the Arizona Coyotes for Nick Schmaltz late Sunday night. 

All three players involved in this trade are former first-round picks and are still on their entry-level contracts. Most notably, Strome was selected No.3 overall in 2015 after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Strome will be reunited with former Erie Otters (OHL) teammate Alex DeBrincat. The duo played three years together with the Otters and each posted absurd numbers. Strome had 104 goals and 211 assists (315 points) in just 159 games over those three campaigns. Strome spent most of last season with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) where he led the team with 53 points (22G / 31A) in 50 games. However, he has struggled to find the same success at the NHL level, largely due to his lack of speed. He has registered three goals and three assists (six points) in 19 games this season but has been limited to just 13:29 TOI/gm. Part of the issue for Strome is a paltry 2.8 on-ice SH%, which could be attributed to playing mostly with bottom-6 quality wingers. Strome should get a chance to play with DeBrincat right away, which could go a long way in rejuvenating an NHL career that is barely underway.

The other piece heading to Chicago is Perlini, who was selected No.12 overall in 2014. Perlini had a nice sophomore season, scoring 17 goals and 13 assists in 74 games a season ago. Perlini is a big-body (6-foot-3 / 211 lbs) that skates extremely well and has a lethal shot. Perlini is often criticized for not always being engaged, which explains his roller coaster usage this season. There were stretches of games where Perlini would play around 16 minutes per night in the top-6 and even more times where he played close to 12 minutes in the bottom-6. The 22-year-old will likely start in the Blackhawks’ bottom-6 with Artem Anisimov but could move up if he plays well in his new threads.

Schmaltz was taken six picks after Perlini in 2014 but has had the most NHL success of the three of them. Schmaltz scored 21 goals and added 31 assists in 78 games last season, playing over 70 percent of his 5v5 ice-time with Patrick Kane. Schmaltz was selected as a centre but has spent a good portion of his career on the wing. With Strome going the other way, Schmaltz could shift back to centre in Arizona. Schmaltz shot at an unsustainably high 17.8 percent last year, so he will need to increase his shot volume if he is going to sniff 20 goals again. He has showcased the ability to be productive away from Kane though. Over the last 101 games, Schmaltz carries a 52.6 CorsiFor% and generated 30.5 ScoringChanceFor/60 in 428:34 5v5 TOI away from Kane. He should be able to carry his own line in Arizona if called upon, but would also be a great complement to a top-6 line featuring Clayton Keller or Alex Galchenyuk.His playmaking abilities make him a better fit with a shooter like a Galchenyuk opposed to a like-minded player like Keller.

At first glance, this looks like a win for the Blackhawks. Reuniting Strome and DeBrincat could be the boost Strome needed to get his game going at this level. Additionally, Perlini should be able to do a lot of the same things that Schmaltz did with added goal-scoring upside but less playmaking ability. DailyFaceoff Twitter users seem to agree with me on the winner of the deal.

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