Pittsburgh Penguins: Keep Daniel Sprong in the NHL?
By Mike Necciai
The Daniel Sprong experiment has gone much better than planned for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After shining in camp and exhibition play, the 18-year old rookie has looked just as effective in the regular season against ‘real’ NHL talent. But, is it the right time to keep him after his nine-game tryout expires?
General Manager Jim Rutherford and the Pittsburgh Penguins staff never thought a talent like Sprong would fall to them at number 46 in this past summer’s draft. However, for whatever reason, he did exactly that and the Pens found their top-six scoring winger of the future. The key word there is future, as there are multiple pros and cons of keeping him around for the remainder of 2015-16.
Pros of Keeping Sprong With the Pittsburgh Penguins
There’s no question that Sprong provides the Penguins with something they don’t regularly get, which is a skilled winger that loves to shoot the puck. He was praised by Sidney Crosby right out of the gate when Sid alluded to Sprong’s “NHL caliber shot” and for those that like intangibles, his energy is unrivaled. He comes off to me as a mini Phil Kessel with more flare in his personality.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have long been susceptible to injuries that have crippled them down the stretch due to a lack of depth throughout the organization. As Sprong proved this past weekend, he helps to remedy that. Pittsburgh is currently without Pascal Dupuis, Beau Bennett and Eric Fehr due to various injuries and all three have been in and out of the lineup quite frequently throughout their careers. When you have a young talent like Sprong available, gone are the days of having to call up players like Jayson Megna and Brian Gibbons. Last season, the Penguins found themselves with the likes of Daniel Winnik playing in the top six next to Crosby. It would have been great to have a young, talented winger to step-in right?
It’s also important to consider that he makes others, such as David Perron and Chris Kunitz, somewhat expendable. The Penguins are in need of top-four defensive help and while neither of those players are lighting it up right now, they’re still potentially the most tradable assets the Pens have. A package deal that includes a pick or maybe even a goaltender prospect could fetch a very good return. When you have versatile guys like Dupuis that can shuffle to left-wing and vacate the right side for Sprong, it’s something to think about.
Development, ELC Highlight Cons of Keeping Sprong
If the above names are indeed healthy and in the lineup, where does Sprong fit? Personally, I’d prefer to limit Dupuis at this stage of his career and let him bolster the potency of the fourth line while Sprong moves up the lineup. However, based on Mike Johnston’s track record, that won’t be the case.
There’s a good chance that if Sprong is kept in the big leagues this season, he’ll be playing fourth line minutes as he did prior to Bennett’s injury. So, from a development perspective, is he going to get the necessary exposure in a role that allots him eight or nine minutes each night? And, is it worth burning a year of his entry-level contract, especially considering the willingness of the Pittsburgh Penguins to always spend to the ceiling? Maximizing the amount of years you get from a player in skilled positions, such as top-six roles, is extremely important.
If I had the Reigns, Sprong Stays in the NHL
The cons of keeping him at this level are clearly significant. But, the biggest issue that the Penguins have right now is on the blue line and keeping him here allows them to be more aggressive in pursuing a fix. When you consider Pittsburgh’s inability to stay healthy, it’s also easy to assume that he’ll more than likely be needed. I want to know your thoughts. Vote below. Keep him, or ship him back juniors with the intent of launching him into a larger role next season?
Next: Is Sidney Crosby Feeling the Pressure?