Ryan Strome is trading in his skates for a microphone — at least, for now.

The veteran forward, who joined the Calgary Flames at the 2026 trade deadline and remains under contract with the club for the 2026-27 season, will join Sportsnet’s “Hockey Central” intermission panel for select games in the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sportsnet announced its on-air personnel for Round 2 on Saturday. Ron MacLean and David Amber will continue to host the intermission panels, which will feature a rotating cast of Elliotte Friedman, Kevin Bieksa, Kelly Hrudey, Jennifer Botterill, and Luke Gazdic, as well as Strome and New Jersey Devils defenceman Brenden Dillon.

Continuing their pattern from Round 1, Sportsnet will offer its own coverage of the Montreal/Buffalo, Carolina/Philadelphia, and Minnesota/Colorado series, while providing a simulcast of the American feed of the Vegas/Anaheim series.

Strome, 32, recorded five goals and 12 points in 19 games to finish the 2025-26 season after being acquired by the Flames. The 6’1″ centre filled the spot vacated by Nazem Kadri and performed admirably down the stretch while playing with a variety of linemates; he will cost $5 million against the Flames’ salary cap ceiling in 2026-27.

The New York Islanders originally selected Strome with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. The Mississauga product spent parts of five seasons with the Islanders to begin his NHL career before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2017. Just over a year later, the Oilers sent Strome to the New York Rangers, where he established career highs in every offensive category over the following four seasons.

On July 13, 2022, Strome signed a five-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks as an unrestricted free agent. He scored exactly 41 points in each of his first three years in Anaheim before falling to just three goals and nine points in 33 games to start the 2025-26 season; the Ducks flipped Strome to the Flames on March 6 in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Through 916 career games over parts of 13 seasons with the Islanders, Oilers, Rangers, Ducks, and Flames, Strome has collected 174 goals and 501 points. He’s added five goals and 19 points in 37 career playoff contests with both New York teams.

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