Forward Daniel Sprong scored eight goals for the Washington Capitals before the team traded him to the Seattle Kraken at the deadline. Sprong, 25, slayed it with the Kraken, notching six more goals in sixteen games.
And yet, Seattle did not extend Sprong. On Tuesday we learned Sprong has signed a professional tryout agreement with the team. He’ll have to fight for a contract and a spot on the team.
CapFriendly broke the news as far as we can tell.
The following players have been signed to professional tryouts (PTO) today.#Arizona – Christopher Gibson (G)#LAKings – Nate Thompson (F)#Seattle – Daniel Sprong (F)https://t.co/4enJBMojUK
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) September 13, 2022
Salary-cap space may help explain the situation. Though the franchise is only in their second year, they’re already strapped. They have six forwards earning more than $5 million, plus poor Philipp Grubauer pulling down nearly $6 million as goalie. As a result, CapFriendly says the team has just $1,010,834 in available space. Meanwhile, Evolving-Hockey projects Sprong to earn $1,146,000 on his next deal. That second number is bigger than the first number.
The PTO could be a way of calling dibs on Sprong as they figure out how to make a deal work. Or it could be that the team is relatively cool on him given their other strength at the position.
Sprong is a curious player. He’s clearly not very good on the defensive side of the puck, but his scoring touch is undeniable. That’s a particular style of player – and one that coaches tend to revile.
We shall see.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
