NHL

Islanders wonder where young Strome will play

The question of what to do with Ryan Strome is less about the obvious talent of the Islanders’ forward than it is about how coach Jack Capuano wants to structure the depth of this season’s roster.

The 20-year-old, who was the No. 5 pick overall in the 2011 draft, was moved from center to wing late last season as he adjusted from junior-level hockey to the AHL, finding some speed bumps along the way. And although the Islanders aren’t exactly overwhelmed with the amount of talent they have at center, if Strome can prove he’s grown enough away from the puck and in his own end, his move out from under the pressures of being a pivot will give Capuano a deeper arsenal to run a high-powered offense.

“When you have a skill player that can dominate at the level that he dominated at juniors, when you get to this level, it’s different,” Capuano told The Post before Thursday night’s 5-3 preseason win over the Devils at The Rock in Newark. “To me, for Ryan, we know his hockey skill. We know his vision, his creativity — we know the intangibles to his offensive game.

“The ability to play a 200-foot game, the ability to stop and start and not drift, that’s what we’re working on with him. Playing a 200-foot game is very crucial at this level.”

Strome skated on a line Thursday with two other youngsters who represent different approaches, as both center Brock Nelson and wing Anders Lee are larger bodies with more physical games and less high-end skill. The three played a little tic-tac-toe on a first-period power play that ended in Lee getting the goal, but the decision for Capuano will still be between offensive capabilities and conservative responsibility.

“We all have to take responsibility on the ice,” Capuano said, “but [Strome] doesn’t have to play as much down low [on the wing].”

After another fabulous season last year in the junior OHL, where he had 34 goals and 94 points in 53 games as a center, Strome went on to play 10 games as a wing for AHL Bridgeport and scored two goals and seven points.

“I think I’ve played there enough now that I’m comfortable,” Strome said. “There are some things I’ve got to learn and I’ve got to get down, but … it’s just hockey out there and you pick them up quickly.”

Capuano comes into this year with some serious expectations to replicate last season’s breakthrough run to the playoffs, the first time the franchise had tasted postseason hockey since 2007. In getting there, the Islanders scored 2.81 goals per game in the regular season — seventh most in the NHL.

If Strome can add to that total is a question Capuano has to ask himself, and if Capuano thinks it’s worth some growing pains, then the Isles might be even more explosive than they were a year ago.

“I think I’m a lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot faster,” Strome said in comparing himself to last season. “I feel a little more comfortable on the ice. I’m not a step behind anymore.”

Rugged forward Cal Clutterbuck sustained a deep laceration on the back of his right thigh during a preseason game in Calgary on Tuesday. He was supposed to see the Islanders doctor on Thursday afternoon for an official evaluation, but oOne team source said that the Islanders expect him out “for at least a month, if not longer.”