Daniel Sprong's career hits serious rough patch with Vancouver Canucks - Will he bounce back?
After a Daniel Sprong signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks this offseason, a strong camp had high hopes for his regular season, but it seems that his career has hit a rough patch early in his tenure with his new team.
Sprong's season could not have gotten off to a better start as he held the honor to score the Canucks' first goal of the 2024-2025 campaign when they faced off the Calgary Flames. It seemed everything was going to go his way, but after his second game of the season, it was clear that things were taking a downward turn.
The 27-year-old forward has been a healthy scratch the last two consecutive games, and it appears that head coach Rick Tocchet is not comfortable or trust him with his overall game, especially on the defensive side of the puck. In his 2 contests, he has averaged just over 10:00 minutes of ice time, as his NHL average over 345 games sits at 11:56.
Daniel Sprong's career hits a rough patch with the Vancouver Canucks
Many analysts were surprised that Daniel Sprong only signed a 1-year contract worth $975,000 as he decided to take a major gamble on himself instead of signing a longer term deal worth a lot more.
According to AFP analytics, his overall comparable and career so far valued him at being able to achieve a 3-year contract worth $12.276 million. He wanted to prove that this season with the Canucks he could take that major step forward in order to secure a much longer contract with longer term, but unfortunately, 4 games in, the gamble is not paying off.
Sprong has never been particularly dependable at the defensive end of the ice, which probably at least partly explains why the Canucks are his sixth NHL team in nine season.
Do you think Daniel Sprong can turn his season around?
