Daniel Sprong is a member of the Seattle Kraken once again. The Vancouver Canucks announced the trade, as they moved Sprong late Friday afternoon. A Friday afternoon, once again, because we suspect Canucks management loves making the Eastern media embarrassed.
Daniel Sprong Sprung
In a surprising move, the Canucks traded their recently signed winger back to a former team for future considerations. Specifically the Seattle Kraken, one of six NHL teams he’s been with in his well-traveled career.
He signed with Vancouver relatively late in the free-agent season, joining on July 20th. His $975K deal was half the annual value of his previous one with Detroit. He had a decent (18-goal, 43-point) season with the Red Wings, but had difficulty catching with a new team.
When Sprong signed in Vancouver, initial thoughts were cautious optimism. He is a very talented shooter, but head coach Rick Tocchet needs to know he can be trusted as well. Despite a good training camp and preseason, he’s been a healthy scratch three times so far in 2023-24.
In nine games, Daniel Sprong has just one goal and three points while averaging 11:40 in ice time. As typical this early in the year, he’s spent time with a wide variety of linemates as the coach looked for one to click.
What the Teams Get and the Seattle Kraken
The 27-year-old Sprong last played for the Kraken in 2022-23, scoring 21 goals and 46 points in just 66 games. With Seattle already in a tight spot for the playoffs, they hope he recaptures that offence for them. They have lost four straight leading into tonight’s match against the Vegas Golden Knights.
In his time in Seattle previously, the Sprong – Brandon Tanev – Morgan Geekie combination worked extremely well for them, adding punch in few minutes. Geekie has since moved on, but Tanev is still in town. He with Tye Kartye and Yanni Gourde have been an effective line, though, so Sprong may need to find a new home.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are getting cap space, at the very least. There are plenty of rumours that Vancouver wants to shore up their defence, though the emergence of Erik Brännström eases some pressure.
Brännström is carrying the puck well in very sheltered minutes alongside fellow new arrival Vincent Desharnais. Desharnais has been a healthy scratch himself a few times this season, so finding a partner works for everyone.
The Canucks have had problems discovering how to best use their third pair, but more than that they need another puck mover. Any plans to separate the top pair of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek were shot down immediately by the Canucks captain. And he seems to be right.
The money saved is fairly minimal, so this deal doesn’t necessarily mean another is coming soon. By moving Sprong now, Vancouver will increase their cap space daily in his absence. And if it’s actually a major deal, more moves will still need to be made to fit in the newcomer.
But for now, the Canucks will count their pennies until another trade can be made. And Seattle will, hopefully, be counting more goals.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Edwards – USA TODAY Sports
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