Confirmed Signing with Link: [VAN] F Daniel Sprong signs with the Canucks (1 year, $975k)

[Canucks LB]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814404693348831508

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814410302945218685

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814409552315502955

Click to read more...

 

[12ozPapa]

He’s an enigma, isn’t he?

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Sprong interest in who?

 

[VanillaCoke]

He's in ibiza, isn't he?

 

[Johnsie19]

If we do sign him, you'd have to think we are going to move some fwds out via trade.

 

[Canucks LB]

I don’t think we can get him under 1 million maybe 1.5m?

 

[canadianmagpie]

Strong Sprong interest?

He'd probably be an upgrade on the 2nd line but would prefer he comes cheap. However, the same tweet says that a lot of teams have interest in Sprong.

 

[SmokeyDuck]

Is there anyone the Canucks aren't interested in?

 

[David71]

could be a suter type like signing for cheap

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I hope someone signs Sprong. He's a goal scorer and should be used as such. Not every player is going to be amazing at 2way hockey but the skill he does have is production. Throw him with Blue and Joshua and watch him help that bottom 6 offense a ton. That would put him with the right usage.

I mean ffs Sid and Rust scored but also bleed a ton of goals and need Rakell. It's a mix of types that works and putting a player that can shoot like Sprong and create with a monster like Joshua and a smart IQ 2way C like Blue, he'd be a huge benefit. JR probably feels like he owes him a proper shot under a better coach under his employment anyway and Allvin likely was one of the scouts for him. Tocchet would do a better job than dipshit Sullivan.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

could be a suter type like signing for cheap

Over the last 2 seasons, he's murdered Suter's production and Sprong has mainly been used on the 4th line. Those numbers should be insanely impressive based on that. Lalonde is an overrated hack of a coach.

 

[CraigBillington]

Strong Sprong interest?
.

I cannot say this without a lisp

 

[TruGr1t]

Over the last 2 seasons, he's murdered Suter's production and Sprong has mainly been used on the 4th line. Those numbers should be insanely impressive based on that. Lalonde is an overrated hack of a coach.

Suter is basically a Selke-quality forward relative to him, though. And good for ~15 goals.

 

[Bottle Rocket]

Is there anyone the Canucks aren't interested in?

Tanner Pearson

 

[fmrdh]

Tocchet will love this guy....

 

[biturbo19]

Probably more like, "nobody has interest in Sprong - so his agent asked Dhaliwal to put it out there that he has a suitor to try to drum something up". That's usually his schtick when it's something like this.


Like...people thought RikTok was unfair and too hard on Kuzmenko for his defensive play and effort level? How is Sprong ever gonna even see the ice under him? There's a good reason a guy with his sort of offensive skillset is still unsigned at this point in the summer. With his agent trying to use the various mouthpieces like Dhaliwal to drum up some sort of sense of interest somewhere.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Seems like he always does pretty well but then never stays in a spot long term... its bizzare

46 and 43 points in past 2 seasons

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Suter is basically a Selke-quality forward relative to him, though. And good for ~15 goals.

Which would be great for him to slot into a line that needs his 2way ability. Sprong is also a 20 and 18 goal scorer from the 4th line, he got less top 6 minutes than Suter, age is a wash since they're a year apart. But the offensive potential in Sprong he shows a ton of. Suter isn't bad and I didn't say he was. Suter has been scraping his offensive potential from Europe for a bit and has had chances to blow up with it and just doesn't seem to get there but he's a fantastic player that slots in anywhere in the top 9.

He was very good with Boeser and Miller. But his production kind of just hovers around 25-35 range (career high of 36). I think the best usage for Suter could be the 3c with Blueger on the 4c spot. Canucks have a lot of options but the way Tocchet uses his lines having 4 he can roll and use in all situations - Sprong would be a solid add to even the 4th line with his offense. Suter could move to C if need be, Heinen is fairly ok 2way, Blueger, Garland has improved so much with his play away from the puck, PDG, etc. I think the lack of scoring depth in the playoffs was a big issue they wanted to fix and adding Sprong on the cheap would help.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Probably more like, "nobody has interest in Sprong - so his agent asked Dhaliwal to put it out there that he has a suitor to try to drum something up". That's usually his schtick when it's something like this.


Like...people thought RikTok was unfair and too hard on Kuzmenko for his defensive play and effort level? How is Sprong ever gonna even see the ice under him? There's a good reason a guy with his sort of offensive skillset is still unsigned at this point in the summer. With his agent trying to use the various mouthpieces like Dhaliwal to drum up some sort of sense of interest somewhere.

Dhaliwal bloke is an epic tosser so I'm going to ignore that wanker entirely. Sprong bounced around because he's sort of a hired gun for the 4th line. His offense is good but he's not good defensively but in usage where he's with 2 defensive players he's thrived. He was better in Seattle in that regard and Lalonde didn't really understand that all that well and healthy scratched him.

Kuzmenko is highly skilled but lazy af. Has a breakthrough first year and then shows up out of shape. That's the issue with Kuzmenko. Sprong used to have that high potential until the Pens squandered it and he bounced around a little - his stay in Washington helped him reset his game back to where it should have been offensively and Seattle really took advantage of mismatches. There's a lot of better names that don't have a job yet either. Arbitration issues and teams still waiting to sign their RFA's is the usual hold up. I'm sure in a random week we'll see names like Pacioretty, Sprong, Barbanov, JVR, etc sign 1yr cheaper deals. It's a bad cap year for a lot of teams.

 

[Siludin]

The next Dan Cleary!

 

[Canucks LB]

If he can just play remotely, better defensively, I don’t think Rick is going to hate the guy, I think he’s going to play with EP 40

 

[Regal]

I don’t think it’d be a bad pickup. The team is built with a lot of options for how the forward lines could shake out and they have enough defensive guys that adding some extra skill on the cheap could help when the big guns dry up. I know Tocchet had a problem with Kuzmenko’s defense, but he also still played him a decent amount even if it was on the 4th line. He still contributed, but his salary and the talk surrounding expectations were problems. I don’t think it’d be an issue with Sprong moving up and down or in and out of the lineup depending on how things go.

 

[FMichael]

Over the last 2 seasons, he's murdered Suter's production and Sprong has mainly been used on the 4th line. Those numbers should be insanely impressive based on that. Lalonde is an overrated hack of a coach.

Not sure if I’d label Lalonde a overrated hack, but for many of us Wings fans he eerily reminds us of former coach Jeff Blashill… And that’s not a good thing.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Not sure if I’d label Lalonde a overrated hack, but for many of us Wings fans he eerily reminds us of former coach Jeff Blashill… And that’s not a good thing.

That's what I meant by hack. Yzerman and his crony hires. He let Blashill (how Jeff lasted as long as he did was a miracle, but I guess if you're going to hire someone to "recoup the prospect pool" he's a good hire, lol - every team has one of these in their tenure more than once) go only for him to take off to Tampa and shit all over their team and he plucked Lalonde from them and he's probably going to get a longer rope than he deserves.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

If he can just play remotely, better defensively, I don’t think Rick is going to hate the guy, I think he’s going to play with EP 40

If you went Suter, EP, Sprong - That could work. EP is smart defensively and Suter is a stud in that regard. To be with two strong players in that way, all Sprong needs to do is produce, to that he definitely does.

I think his defense issues is made into a bigger deal than it is. Btw, I'm not saying the Canucks should sign him, I'm saying if they were going to, he'd be a good fit for what they're looking for. I think they've added enough of a mix of 2-way capable players and were lacking some depth scoring - Adding DeBrusk and Heinen was a step in that direction.

The thing about Sprong as he was "coached" to learn how to play with Crosby and to give Crosby the puck, he's a bloody shooter that was drafted to be a scorer, he was also dicked around with the whole waiver rule which JR was guilty of and admitted he did Sprong no favors and Sullivan was doing his finishing move on the lad. I recall an article about how he was sort of trying to figure his game out and Ovechkin of all people told him to just shoot the puck, that if he sees a shot and he passes it, he'd be pissed also that if he sees Ovy open, pass it to him or something lol. But that helped him. Seattle was a good fit for him in that regard, Detroit he kind of showed that while the coach wasn't a fan of his, he still produced back to back 40+ in 4th line usage.

That is not easy. I don't think you'll see any player in the league do that actually, I'd be curious if there's anyone that has played as many minutes as Sprong on the 4th line, produce even close to him.

If he ends up in Vancouver, good for him to get a chance to work with some of the blokes that want to give him a better shot. If he ends up elsewhere, I hope it's a team that gives him more than 1yr. I just know his situation from the Pens and hope he gets a chance to stick with a team for more than 1 year.

Is there anyone the Canucks aren't interested in?

I'm sure that bloke, Dick D will tweet out every name he could, especially any that JR traded for or signed. Every team has their Rossi/Yohe, I have noticed he's the Canucks version, an epic tit that thinks he's an insider.