The Detroit Red Wings are well within a rut right now. Things are not going as planned for the Red Wings, but they are working through it with hopes of coming out on the right side of things. If Detroit can get back on track, everything will be alright, but things are in the trenches for now.
But instead of dwelling on the issues, let's highlight one of the players who has seemingly been doing his job and working out well with the Detroit Red Wings roster through this point in the season. Daniel Sprong has been solid to this point for the Red Wings, settling in well with this forward core, and the team's high-octane offense early on only helped this.
When the Red Wings signed Sprong, they knew what they were getting into. The forward has some holes defensively, but there was hope to get Sprong into the right spots to facilitate success. It's the same thing that the Seattle Kraken did with Sprong, helping him take off with a career-best 21 goals. Detroit was hoping to recreate this, utilizing him in a similar way.
From the looks of it right now, Detroit has been able to do that. Sprong may not be getting top-line minutes or be on the top power-play unit, but he has been able to get the job done as needed and be a force offensively. The numbers are showing up, and he's been someone that the Red Wings have been able to rely on. Things have been good, given the product the Red Wings were expecting from Sprong.
Daniel Sprong has found his way with the Detroit Red Wings.
Sprong has been able to carve out a role in the middle-six with Detroit, facilitating offense and creating scoring chances. It's the exact thing the Red Wings were hoping for when they signed him this summer. The 26-year-old forward has earned his money through this point in the season, being someone Detroit can rely on for good performances night in and night out.
Through 32 games played in 2023-24, Sprong has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 total points. He's very unofficially on-pace for 48 points on the season, which would be good enough for a career-best season. Detroit has been maximizing scoring chances for Sprong, and even with more assists than goals, he is able to get the job done, setting others up.
With the points flowing in for the Red Wings, there has to be positives to it. The Red Wings are struggling as a team, and the losses are mounting, but we can take a moment to look at the positives and realize that Sprong has been solid for Detroit. He's on pace for a career year, or at minimum, another solid season, mimicking his success in Seattle.
Detroit may be in rough water right now, but looking at the positives, like Sprong's excellent play, makes it seem like they may be able to snap out of this funk in due time.