Outside of the Seattle Kraken‘s recent slide (they have lost 10 of their last 13 games), the biggest story around the organization may involve a player not even on their active roster, forward Daniel Sprong. The 27-year-old winger was traded to the Kraken after only scoring one goal and three points in nine games with the Vancouver Canucks, mere months after signing with the Pacific Division club in free agency. The trade marked the start of his second stint in Seattle, having played 82 games for the franchise between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Sprong has struggled since his extremely productive 2022-23 campaign. The 2015 second-round pick tallied 21 goals in 66 games to tie for third on the Kraken in scoring. More notably, he ranked seventh among qualified forwards (minimum 300 minutes at five-on-five) in goals per-60-minutes, 15th in assists per-60, and was tied for third in points per-60, ranking ahead of some of the NHL’s biggest names.
Despite running very hot as a finisher, Sprong was getting the shots (17th in shots per-60) and chances (97th in expected goals per-60). He could, at minimum, maintain a top-six rate of production even if his conversion rate (13.8% shooting) cooled off over time.
Sprong followed that effort up with 18 goals in 76 games in his one and only season with the Detroit Red Wings, ranking 45th in goals per-60 and 38th in points per-60 at five-on-five. Yet, he was not offered a new contract and later signed a one-year, $0.975 million contract with the Canucks as a free agent.
Sprong faced limited usage as a Canuck as he only saw 11:39 minutes per game in all situations, with head coach Rick Tocchet expressing doubts about his defensive acumen. It also didn’t help that 20-year-old Jonathan Lekkerimaki earned a look at the NHL level after posting 12 goals and 17 points in 21 American Hockey League (AHL) games. Simply put, Vancouver could not find a spot for a talented but defensively susceptible forward who needs specialized deployment to flourish.
Sprong Lighting Up the AHL with Coachella Valley
That begs the question: Why would the Kraken re-acquire a one-dimensional figure? Sprong appears to have already tested the team’s patience, having been sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, after tallying two points in 10 games since the trade. The truth is they need his skill set if they hope to make the 2024 Playoffs, and until they begin to sell off assets, they would be better served keeping Sprong in the NHL.
If the Kraken were looking to ignite a fire under Sprong, it seems like that goal has been accomplished. Sprong illuminated the gulf in talent between the NHL and the AHL when asked about his three-point debut with the Firebirds, and understandably, he seemed disappointed to have been sent down. He’s tallied three goals, four points, and six shots in two games since his demotion and should be in line for a quick recall, in my humble opinion.
Sprong’s stat line for 2024-25 currently reads two goals and five points in 19 games, and it is true that he’s struggled to produce, but his underlying chance generation numbers have not declined. A zero percent individual shooting percentage and eight percent on-ice shooting percentage (player-plus-linemates) at five-on-five will always make a player’s results look worse than they are in reality.
Sprong’s Defensive Shortcomings are Overblown
While I will not claim that Sprong is or will ever be a defensive ace in the running for the Selke Trophy, I believe that the discourse around his defensive game has detached itself from reality and is nowhere near bad enough to ignore his clear-scoring talents.
While plus-minus is one of hockey’s most flawed statistics, Sprong’s career mark is only minus-3, far from owning the league-worst margin the conversation would have you believe. His on-ice shares of shots, scoring chances, and high-danger opportunities have hovered in the mid-40 percent range over the past few seasons, which, while not great, are not something that cannot be overcome with an above-average finisher in a sheltered role.
Sprong Deserves Another Chance with the Kraken
To mitigate the defensive risks, play Sprong on one of the two power-play units and play him with defensively responsible linemates at five-on-five. I would have much more time for Sprong’s detractors if he was a regular top-line forward who should be more well-rounded or if he was on a hefty long-term contract, which obviously carries higher expectations.
The fact is that Sprong has never averaged more than 14 minutes per game over a full NHL season and is currently a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of under $1 million. Fans and media members who expect Sprong to resemble prime Jere Lehtinen are missing the mark and scapegoating a peripheral winger for the roster’s shortcomings.
The Kraken are scoring 2.91 goals per game this season and converting at an 18.9% clip on the power play, with both marks sitting just outside of the NHL’s bottom third. None of those trends are surprising as a lackluster offense has been a hallmark of the Kraken’s existence, outside of the outlier 2022-23 season in which they finished second in the league in shooting percentage.
While Sprong won’t remedy all of the Kraken’s problems, there is little downside to recalling him and putting him in a position to succeed. Among all NHL forwards to have played at least 300 minutes at five-on-five over the past three seasons, Sprong sits in the top 25 by shots, goals, and points per-60-minutes.
Organizations often commit too much money and terms to players in the hopes of securing a consistent source of offense. Goals mean wins, wins mean playoffs, and playoff games mean revenue. If the Kraken change course regarding their competitive timeline, Sprong’s time in Seattle will likely be over.
Until then, they can do a lot worse than using a forward who has scored five-on-five goals at a higher rate than Connor McDavid, Filip Forsberg, and Alexander Ovechkin (among others) since the start of the 2022-23 season.
Data courtesy of Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and the NHL.
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