Speculation: Daniel Sprong

[DesertPenguin]

I have a very good friend who is Dutch and I asked him about Sprong last year when the Kraken didn't sign him to a new deal. His response was much more about Dutch culture than about the guy himself. He said that Dutch people tend to be stereotyped as rude, or as assholes for reasons that are in direct conflict with the way Canadian's specifically are stereotyped as some of the nicest people on the planet. Dutch people are direct, have no filter whatsoever, are brutally honest about themselves and others. The Dutch are confident, but private at the same time and that can lead to a stereotype that they are arrogant and cold. Quite in conflict with the Canadian warmth. I don't see Canadian's being seen as particularly confident either (sorry... I don't mean I'm sorry, I mean... sorry, sorry, sorry lol), but American's can definitely come across as confident assholes lol.

The Dutch can also tend to be unaware of the filters that others use. I've seen this in my friendship with him. He often doesn't read what I'm saying when I'm applying filters to my thoughts. He's like "that's not how things are". Flat out, and it comes off as a bit rude to me, but I've learned to understand that he's just being direct and expects that of others as well. Filtering thoughts and opinions is very common amongst Americans and Canadians and as such, we tend to read into things, the Dutch typically don't read into things in the same way because there's no reason to in their culture.

I think when it comes to Sprong, he could very well be an asshole, but he's also the ONLY Dutch player in the league, and as such, a cultural anomaly in a sport filled with Canadians who are quite culturally different than him. He's more than likely misunderstood.

So basically the Jan Mas character in Ted Lasso is spot on?

Since the pens have more or less decided to mail it in the season and build for the future, I'd take a flier on him. Pens need a shooter on the PP, and short of Laine becoming truly available, he's the best option out there.

 

[Run the Jewels]

He allegedly got in a bar fight before the start of last season. He seems like way more hassle than what he brings to the rink.

 

[saska sault]

Sprong is a nice player to have when the rest of your team has it figured out.... he's a luxury you can use or bench at hopefully a small cap hit. He had great games in Detroit when the team was stinking out the rink, but when the games mattered he wasn't trusted.

 

[57special]

Because he is streaky, and when he is not scoring he is a liability.

Yup. An empty calories type player. Makes Duclair seem like a rock solid, two way guy.

 

[Irie]

He priced himself out of what teams are wiling to pay. Contenders won't touch him. 2 seasons of getting easy ice time on bad teams won't translate the same on playing on good teams

One of those "bad teams" was a team that had a 100 point season, knocked off the defending stanley cup champions in round one, and was a one goal game 7 loss away from reaching the western conference finals.

Thinking we may have to just agree to disagree on what the definition of a "bad team" is on this one.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

….

His offense is amazing and he has an amazing shot. Thing is there Is 2 sides of the ice. He's a blackhole defensively.

I think a blackhole would be pretty good on defense. “Gretzky to Lemieux…oh dear lord, Mario has been shrunk to a point of infinite density…”

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

 

[HockeyVirus]

Not a player for a playoff team. He'll sign cheap on a team like the Habs or something in August

 

[13to40]

Not popular in the locker room.

Can’t play in his own end.

He’s a liability more often than not when on the ice, unless on the power play.

Probably priced himself out of the teams looking to make a cup run who really needed depth scoring.

Has a wicked release though and if he plays a full season it is an automatic 20+ goals.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I have a very good friend who is Dutch and I asked him about Sprong last year when the Kraken didn't sign him to a new deal. His response was much more about Dutch culture than about the guy himself. He said that Dutch people tend to be stereotyped as rude, or as assholes for reasons that are in direct conflict with the way Canadian's specifically are stereotyped as some of the nicest people on the planet. Dutch people are direct, have no filter whatsoever, are brutally honest about themselves and others. The Dutch are confident, but private at the same time and that can lead to a stereotype that they are arrogant and cold. Quite in conflict with the Canadian warmth. I don't see Canadian's being seen as particularly confident either (sorry... I don't mean I'm sorry, I mean... sorry, sorry, sorry lol), but American's can definitely come across as confident assholes lol.

The Dutch can also tend to be unaware of the filters that others use. I've seen this in my friendship with him. He often doesn't read what I'm saying when I'm applying filters to my thoughts. He's like "that's not how things are". Flat out, and it comes off as a bit rude to me, but I've learned to understand that he's just being direct and expects that of others as well. Filtering thoughts and opinions is very common amongst Americans and Canadians and as such, we tend to read into things, the Dutch typically don't read into things in the same way because there's no reason to in their culture.

I think when it comes to Sprong, he could very well be an asshole, but he's also the ONLY Dutch player in the league, and as such, a cultural anomaly in a sport filled with Canadians who are quite culturally different than him. He's more than likely misunderstood.

One of my best friends in college was Dutch and that very much seems to be the stereotype.