For a player who has averaged nearly 20 goals in the past two seasons and is only 27, there didn’t seem to be much interest in Daniel Sprong.
The leading scorer last season among available free agents finally is off the market after signing a one-year, $975,000 contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
Sprong, a right-shooting winger, tallied 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings while averaging only 12 minutes per game and playing in the bottom six. The Red Wings signed Sprong to a one-year, $2 million deal in 2023 but weren’t interested in re-signing him, in part to make room for Jonatan Berggren.
Sprong is two years removed from putting up career-high numbers (21 goals, 46 points in 66 games) in his lone season with the Seattle Kraken. Vancouver will be his sixth NHL team in nine seasons.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement: “Bringing in another solid winger will be a boost for our club this season. Daniel has matured a lot as a player and has shown he can contribute offensively when called upon. His addition up front will give us better depth and should help with more balanced scoring throughout our forward group.”