*Note: This story was updated following Ron Francis’s press conference Friday evening.*
DING DONG! IT’S DANIEL SPRONG (again)! The Kraken announced that they acquired the Dutch winger in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, sending only “future considerations” back the other way.
“Obviously, we’ve been struggling to score some goals lately, so we were looking at that,” general manager Ron Francis said. “I had a conversation with [Canucks general manager] Patrik [Allvin] the other day, and Daniel’s name came up. Obviously, with us, he had a good season, scored 20 goals with us, 18 last year. He knows our team, our locker room, and we thought it was a low-risk gamble to give him a shot.”
DING! DONG!
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 9, 2024
IT’S DANNNNNNNIEL SPRONG! 🛎️ https://t.co/PBAQHWYTGU
With the trade, Sprong, 27, returns to Seattle for his second stint. The winger spent a season and change with the Kraken after being acquired almost by accident at the 2021-22 trade deadline when Francis sent Marcus Johansson to the Washington Capitals for two draft picks. Sprong, who was then on an expiring contract, was effectively a throw-in from Washington, and Francis even indicated that he was a player the Capitals “wanted” Seattle to take back in the deal.
Sprong played out the year with Seattle, then returned to Kraken training camp the following season on a pro tryout. He earned a contract and made the team out of camp and helped drive the fourth line to become one of the most effective in hockey, racking up 21 goals and 25 assists in 66 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
He left as an unrestricted free agent after the season, opting to sign a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings, where he again produced offensively with 18 goals and 25 assists.
Despite consecutive (very) productive seasons, Sprong was again on the move this summer, ultimately signing a one-year deal worth $975K with the Vancouver Canucks on July 20.
Now, after playing nine of Vancouver’s 12 games and scoring one goal and two assists, Sprong has found himself back in Seattle for a second go-round with the team where he had his most successful NHL season. He re-joins players and staff with whom he’s already familiar.
“We’re not playing the way we think we’re capable of playing, and we’re trying to find our game,” Francis said. “And hopefully this gives us a little jolt to get things going in the right direction.
“The guys are excited and happy to have him back.”
Sprong keeps moving
It’s interesting that despite his ability to score in a league where goals are so hard to come by, Sprong continues to quickly wear out his welcome in various cities. The knock on him has always been his effort at the defensive end of the ice, and former Kraken coach Dave Hakstol called that out on several occasions.
But from my view, when Sprong was on the ice, he put opposing teams on their heels with his speed, stickhandling, and heavy shot. During his time with the Kraken, Sprong’s fourth line with Morgan Geekie and Ryan Donato usually had the puck and didn’t spend much time defending anyway.
I have been… pardon the pun… ringing the bell for Seattle to bring Sprong back ever since he left. I didn’t think it was a coincidence that the Kraken’s depth scoring went belly-up last season without him and his linemates, who had all departed the summer before. There’s been no offensive punch from the bottom of the lineup since then, and surely Francis and his staff are hoping to recapture some of that magic.
Although I always had positive interactions with Sprong, something about this player causes him to wear out his welcome (almost) everywhere he goes. Whatever that may be, it didn’t deter the Kraken enough to keep them from wanting him back. Worth noting: I believe Sprong received an offer to return after that 2022-23 season, but he opted to join Detroit as a free agent instead.
Here is Francis’s take on why Sprong has moved around so much: “I know when we first got him, it took a while to get to know him, and sort of build that trust and relationship. I think even when he left, it wasn’t like he left on bad terms with us. It was basically him coming off of 20 goals and playing on our fourth line, we didn’t have the money to pay him at that point. So, we said, ‘Go and test the market,’ and good for him. He ended up getting a couple million dollars, and that’s why we couldn’t keep him.”
How he fits
With the Kraken in an early season rut, having lost seven of their last eight games and four in a row, the organization is looking to jolt the lineup. With Vince Dunn still on long-term injured reserve, they are able to exceed the cap temporarily, though not for long. According to coach Dan Bylsma, Dunn is progressing well and could return as early as next week. When he does, the Kraken will need to make room by either sending someone to Coachella Valley or executing another trade.
I would expect Sprong to slot back into the fourth line, perhaps initially replacing Tye Kartye, who appears to be in Bylsma’s doghouse, given his healthy scratch Tuesday in Colorado. We shall see.
Francis expects that due to Veterans Day on Monday, Sprong’s work visa will not come through in time for him to join the Kraken on Tuesday. Instead, expect that the earliest we will see Sprong in the lineup would be next Thursday when the Chicago Blackhawks come to Seattle.