The Ducks made a move with the Pens sending D-Man Marcus Pettersson to Pittsburgh for forward Daniel Sprong. The trade was 1 for 1 with no extra nonsense involved. Pettersson was a draft pick by Anaheim and made his way through the system and had spent the majority of time with the big club in this 2018-19 season.
I personally enjoyed watching Marcus play down in San Diego while I still lived there, he seemed reliable and his tall lengthy stature was noticeable. He had that long reach and was not all too flashy. He seemed to be ready to be an everyday NHL’er and was getting his chance with Anaheim. It is a bummer to see him go, but what we got back has a huge upside for the Ducks.
Daniel Sprong, the 21 year old from Amsterdam could become a huge resource for the Ducks this season. In Pittsburgh, he never really found his fit. From what I understand is that he was playing 4th line minutes and expected to be a grinder for the Pens. This is not his game, he is a big forward that has a great shot and wants to be out there getting power play time along with being up on one of the top lines. With plenty of talent in Pittsburgh and a need for a defensemen, the trade worked out well for everyone.
Sprong in his Ducks debut tallied the second goal vs the Hawks when he beat Corey Crawford learning of his post short side and roofed it just past his ear. With that release, and the placement of not only the shot, but where he was on the ice caught the attention of all Ducks fans. What do we have here? In the games since he seems to be always in the mix and trying to prove that not only can he help Anaheim but he deserves to be a top 6 guy.
In a wild one on Sunday night, the Ducks went to the shootout vs the Devils and Randy Carlyle tapped Sprong for the second shot, and yet again he did not disappoint. He came up the slot, little shoulder shimmy and then front hand to back hand had Cory Schneider absolutely swimming in the crease and Sprong put it home to set up Getzlaf to have the SO-GWG in the next round. Let’s hope that Sprong keeps it up and finds his home in Anaheim, it seems like he is going to be a huge asset for us going forward.
Featured Image: AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
