Seattle Kraken: (Daniel) Sprong has sprung in the Emerald City
Welcome to the Seattle Kraken
On March 21st, Seattle acquired Sprong in exchange for veteran forward and pending unrestricted free agent Marcus Johansson, who was not likely to re-sign with the Kraken.
Washington needed depth at scoring in their bottom-6 forwards, and Johansson fit the bill. Seattle needed a player who could plug directly into the NHL lineup, and Sprong needed an opportunity to show he could play at the NHL level. This trade was a win-win-win for everyone.
Sprong immediately fit right in with the Pudget Sound boys, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games (and assisting on the disallowed goal in his 4th game against Vegas). That’s a good way to show the new team he belongs there.
Why The Kraken Need Sprong
Sprong needed a fresh start and an opportunity to show he could play in the NHL as a top-6 forward. More than just an ability to score, his grit and determination make Sprong a perfect player for an expansion team looking to find an identity.
He has speed, a booming slapshot, the ability to score from multiple areas of the ice, and is not afraid to throw a check. In his 6 games with Seattle, he has 23 shots and is scoring at a 13.0 percent rate.
To put these numbers in perspective, in the 47 games leading up to the trade, he took 102 shots and scored at a 7.5 percent clip. So he’s almost doubling the rate he had in Washington and is taking twice the amount of shots.