Ryan Strome is not naive.

It has been a long time since Strome, now 26 years old, was the No. 5-overall pick of the Islanders in 2011. He has seen some things during his 421 NHL games, including his trade from the Oilers to the Rangers early last season.

He knows the Blueshirts have a ton of young talent in the system, most of it on display during training camp over the past few weeks. He knows a lot of them are natural centers, just like him. And he also knows he is entering the final year of his two-year, $6.2 million deal that will make him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

A lot can happen between now and the trade deadline. This, however, is a franchise that has sold off veteran assets for two years straight, and despite looking like they are on the upswing of this rebuilding process, Strome’s future in that Rangers picture is murky.

“A lot of guys talking about the young guys fighting for spots, but I want to prove that I can be a part of the core here,” Strome told The Post after Friday’s practice, as the club got ready for the preseason finale on Saturday night in Bridgeport, Conn., against the Islanders. “I think that’s a challenge I have to take with myself and if I take that challenge individually, that’s going to help the team get better. So that’s the inner competitiveness.”

One thing that is helping Strome is his versatility to go from wing to center. Coach David Quinn wanted to make sure that early on, he got his three young pivots to play in the middle — so Filip Chytil got first crack at second-line center, while Lias Andersson and Brett Howden battled for third- and fourth-line spots.

But as the games and practices add up, so do the evaluations. None of the three young centers has grabbed hold of a top-six role, and Chytil has been playing and practicing as a wing — where he played for most of his rookie season last year. So there was Strome, back in the middle for Tuesday’s exhibition match against the Islanders and again for Thursday’s game against the Flyers.

“I’m not naive to the situation. I think we have a lot of young guys that are centermen,” Strome said. “I think my job is to come in here — I’m a good guy, work hard. If those [young] guys are playing good, I’m more than happy to play the wing. If those guys need a little relief, then I can go play center and take care of things. I think just being versatile is part of the role.”

Quinn has lauded Strome’s ability to play both spots, which makes him a valuable asset on a team with so many young question marks.

“I think he’s versatile enough to do either,” Quinn said. “Where he plays is going to be contingent on how all these young guys play.”

Strome played 63 games for the Rangers last season after general manager Jeff Gorton pulled off a coup of a trade, sending Edmonton only Ryan Spooner, who was soon waived. But even on a Rangers team that was in the post-deadline doldrums, Strome managed to tally 18 goals and 15 assists, giving him something to build upon.

It also helped that he knew the area from his four years with the Islanders, which ended when they traded him to the Oilers for Jordan Eberle in the summer of 2017. Edmonton then signed Strome to that two-year deal and traded him just 18 games in.

But the landing spot was soft, and Strome made it clear how he feels about playing for the Rangers in this market. He wants to be part of the future, and it’s to be seen if he will be.

“I just have to play my best hockey, and whatever happens, happens,” Strome said. “I feel comfortable here and I love playing here. You get treated first-class. But you just want to play your best. There are always people watching.”