Using NHL 24 Franchise Mode to guess Sprong's next time
With NHL Free Agency well underway and many players who have been NHL regulars in the past still unsigned we booted up NHL 24 to speculate on Daniel Sprong's next team.
Sprong scored 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games last season while averaging only 12:00 time on ice per game, the highest per game average of his career.
Despite a career 11:57 ice time per game average Sprong has 85 goals and 159 points in 344 career games. With only 14 of those goals coming on the powerplay Sprong is one of the more underrated 5-on-5 goal scorers in the league.
Only 27-years-old, Sprong has played for five teams and seems to have difficulty sticking around.
Sprong recorded 36 points in our simulation, close enough to his real life numbers.
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In our simulation Sprong wanted $3.575 million on a one-year deal from Detroit before hitting the open market, he dropped his ask to $2.775 million after having no interest for the first four weeks of free agency.
Sprong ended up signing with the New Jersey Devils for $2.470 million on a one-year deal. He did not sign the deal in-game until August 3rd.
Given the depth the Devils have at forward he may not be a fit with them in real life, but he would fit stylistically if they could find a roster spot. Sprong has proven he can put up points in a minimized role, and a team like New Jersey would allow him to play with talented players down the roster.
NHL 24 does not think he will sign until later in the summer, and given the lack of NHL news the last few days it seems to be trending that way for many free agents.