Daniel Sprong is about to be unleashed on the Detroit Red Wings
Daniel Sprong may prove to be one of those bargain free-agent additions for the Detroit Red Wings that we’ve quickly grown accustomed to since Steve Yzerman took over the reins of the organization.
Sprong, 26, a product of the Netherlands, enjoyed a breakout season last year with the Seattle Kraken, where he totaled 46 points, including 21 goals, both career-highs over 66 games. Oddly, the Kraken failed to give Sprong a qualifying offer following such a strong season.
The much-traveled winger is undoubtedly hoping to find a long-term home in the league after spending parts of seven seasons between four organizations to date. Detroit will be Sprong’s fifth stop, and he’s just 26 years old. The right-winger was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins 46th overall in the second round of the 2015 NHL Entry Level Draft. Following just 43 NHL games over three seasons with the Penguins, Sprong spent parts of two seasons in each Anaheim and Washington before landing in Seattle.
Daniel Sprong figures to be a vital piece among the Detroit Red Wings’ bottom six this season.
Sprong was widely productive for the Kraken last season while only averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game, usually playing on Seattle’s fourth line. The Detroit Red Wings have been seeking that kind of depth scoring for quite some time. That is the kind of production Detroit fans hoped players like Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, and Pius Suter, among others, would provide. With Zadina, Suter, and Kubalik, for that matter, no longer on Detroit’s roster, it’s newcomers like Sprong, Klim Kostin, Christian Fischer, J.T. Compher, plus returning Red Wings Veleno, Jonatan Berggren, and Robby Fabbri expected to bolster Detroit’s bottom-six scoring.
Catch a glimpse of the blend of speed and skill Sprong figures to bring to Detroit’s lineup. Sprong explodes through the neutral zone and buries a gorgeous snapshot from the right-wing hashmark in a flash.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1507930842609373185?s=20
How about some magic off the faceoff? The goal in the following video occurs at even strength, but I envision Sprong getting opportunities like this on Detroit’s second power play unit next season.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1486524077930127362?s=20
Recently, Sprong spoke about how beneficial it is for a team to roll four lines and what he hopes to bring to the Detroit Red Wings this coming season.
“If you look at our team last year in Seattle, we had four lines that can play,” Sprong said in early July. “The way I played last year on the power play and scoring five-on-five, I think that’s something I excelled at, and the defensive side as well, and I am excited to bring that to Detroit.”“I think it will be a good fit for both sides,” Sprong said. “I thought it would be a good fit to be there and help with the scoring and grow with the guys there and be part of the organization. Detroit was only 12 points out of the playoffs, so you’re talking about maybe a six-or-seven game swing. You’re not far out.”“I can get off my one-timer pretty well, so I’m hoping I can bring an impact on the power play,” Sprong said.
The Detroit Red Wings needed to add some depth scoring to their lineup, plus they had an immediate need for some right-handed options. Sprong checks both of the boxes. During his limited time on the ice, Sprong maintained a very impressive 55% Corsi For Percentage, along with a solid 3.4% Relative Corsi For rating during even strength situations. Sprong will also become a power-play option for Derek Lalonde’s second group; Sprong recorded six goals and eight assists with the man advantage last season in Seattle. Sprong also averaged an impressive 3.7 points/60 minutes with 1.7 goals and 2.0 assists/60, all career bests.
Sprong signed a one-year deal worth $2 million with the Detroit Red Wings this summer, and if all goes well, he will see a significant increase next summer.
Related Story. Klim Kostin to provide depth in the bottom-six. light
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