Strome: It’s Stanley Cup or Bust for the Capitals

Dylan Strome isn’t lowering the bar in Washington.

The veteran forward told NHL.com on Monday that it’s Stanley Cup or bust for the Capitals this season. He didn’t leave much room to read between the lines.

“I mean, I think it has to be. I think with the pieces that we’ve added, you can’t ask much more from management, so now it’s time for the players to step up and do what’s asked of us.”

Strome said it at a celebrity golf tournament outside Toronto, still two months out from training camp. His mind is already on the season.

The Capitals had a loud summer. They traded for Tuch and Kyrou in late June, then landed Jenner in free agency on July 1. Washington wasn’t shy about reshaping the forward group.

Here’s Washington making the Tuch deal official:

The biggest jolt landed the next day. Ovechkin signed a one-year deal on July 2 to come back for his 22nd season, and Strome said nobody in the room saw it coming.

He found out the way most fans did. A buddy on the course flashed the alert on his phone, and Strome remembered his reaction.

“What? Really?! Ovi’s pretty good at keeping things tight to the chest, so we really didn’t know.”

Then his own phone buzzed. Ovechkin had dropped a message in the team group chat saying he was back and pumped to go. Strome wasn’t the only Capital caught off guard.

Take a look at the Capitals making it official:

Washington has reason to push. The Caps missed the playoffs last season at 43-30-9, three points behind the Flyers for the final spot in the East. Only Ovechkin and Tom Wilson reached 30 goals, and the team ranked 15th in scoring.

Tuch was the swing. He put up 33 goals and 66 points last season and has cleared 33 in three of his past four years. Strome called him the big fish of the offseason.

Ovechkin has already framed the stakes the same way:

Strome had 58 points in 80 games last season. He isn’t hiding what he wants out of this group.

“I can’t wait to get going and see just how good we can be.”