Detroit Inks RW Daniel Sprong to One-Year Deal

The Red Wings sign Daniel Sprong to one-year, $2 million contract

The Detroit Red Wings arrived at a resolution to the search for a goalscoring winger by signing right-handed winger Daniel Sprong to a one-year, $2 million contract.

Sprong scored a career-high 21 goals a year ago in Seattle, also pitching in 25 assists, in just 66 games.  Across seven NHL seasons, the Amsterdam-born sniper made stops in Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and Washington, before lacing up for the Kraken a year ago.

Across all those destinations, Sprong has always been a lethal shooter and gifted rush creator, but he has never latched onto a top six role for any sustained period.

For one reason or another, no team has seen fit to keep him around long-term.  Seattle declined to qualify Sprong (at a quite modest number), which took him from RFA to UFA last night and left the 26-year-old in search of a new home.

After talks cooled with Ottawa on a potential Alex DeBrincat trade, Steve Yzerman and company had to look elsewhere for a scoring winger.  In Sprong, Yzerman found one who came at a modest cap hit with no acquisition cost but still has a track record as a highly efficient scorer.

Sprong hasn't touched DeBrincat's heights in terms of raw goal total, but that's at least in part about usage.  Where DeBrincat has long been a top line, top power play unit contributor, Sprong has never gotten that kind of opportunity. 

Because of his goal-scoring resume, Sprong presumably would have had a decent number of suitors for his next contract.  Yzerman offered him a robust raise, but I would also think there was a conversation about role that appealed to Sprong.

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In Detroit, Sprong will likely get the chance he has long coveted: to earn a featured role and play alongside some of his most talented teammates.  The question then becomes can Sprong maintain his impressive rate stats with more ice time?

Last year in Seattle, Sprong played just 11:25 a night.  Still, all situations goals-per-sixty minutes of ice time (1.67) ranked him 15th across the entire NHL.  If he can keep up anything close to that pace while locking down a top six role in Detroit, he will be a phenomenal acquisition.

Better still, because of the modest cap hit and non-existent acquisition cost, this is as close to a risk free deal as you can get in the modern NHL.