Daniel Sprong Containment Thread Part 3 | Mod Warning Post #1

[Ryder71]

And every one of them does better when Sprong isn't there with them - that's not a team issue, that's a Sprong issue.

I'm not gonna throw it all at his feet. He's 21, others are more seasoned, ingrained in the system and experienced, they need to pick up the slack.

 

[Gurglesons]

Neal and Sykora are complimentary pieces, which was what my point was. That's not to say they aren't better away from the puck. But generally speaking they didn't drive their lines here in PITT. If our centers were struggling, you didn't see them light it up on their own, did you?

Which is why we won nothing with them and why their departure and eventual scratching led to success?

 

[Ryder71]

You gave examples of elite goal scorers in the league.

Sprong is not an elite goal scorer. He’s a 30 point pace player no matter where he plays. Sid’s wing, Getzlaf’s wing, top six minutes bottom six minutes.

30 pt pace players like ZAR that play a lesser offensive game, but don’t get caved in are always going to be more valuable than that.

He's not an elite goal scorer, yet..........

 

[Gurglesons]

He's not an elite goal scorer, yet..........

He’s been playing NHL minutes since he was 18. That skill set is usually seen by now.

Removing 2016. He has 5 ES goals in 40 games a pace of 10 goals in a 81 game season.

 

[Ryder71]

Which is why we won nothing with them and why their departure and eventual scratching led to success?

Do we honestly believe Sprong will be the determining factor one way or another as to the Ducks success or demise?

 

[Ryder71]

He’s been playing NHL minutes since he was 18. That skill set is usually seen by now.

But not always, yes?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

 

[Gurglesons]

But not always, yes?

I mean, point to someone from the drafts between 2005 - 2015 that started as a fringe NHLer at 21 and blossomed into an elite goal scorer.

Jiri Tlusty is the player I keep coming back to when I watch Sprong’s career path.

 

[Ryder71]

I mean, point to someone from the drafts between 2005 - 2015 that started as a fringe NHLer at 21 and blossomed into an elite goal scorer.

Jiri Tlusty is the player I keep coming back to when I watch Sprong’s career path.

As I said at the time of the trade and I'll say it now, it's still too early to determine as to how he'll end up. And at 21 there's a long ways to go here.

 

[Gurglesons]

As I said at the time of the trade and I'll say it now, it's still too early to determine as to how he'll end up. And at 21 there's a long ways to go here.

There really isn’t for players that play the type of game you are saying he plays and his lack of production.

He needs to solidify himself as some that scores more than he gets scored on in the next year or two or I imagine he will be Pirri.

 

[Riptide]

Neal and Sykora are complimentary pieces, which was what my point was. That's not to say they aren't better away from the puck. But generally speaking they didn't drive their lines here in PITT. If our centers were struggling, you didn't see them light it up on their own, did you?

Nope. But they also usually didn't get caved in across the board either, even when struggling. I get that Sprong won't fix Anaheim's issues. But if he can't round out his game to the point that he's not an utter liability when he's on the ice, he won't even get a real chance to be part of their solution.

 

[Ryder71]

Nope. But they also usually didn't get caved in across the board either, even when struggling. I get that Sprong won't fix Anaheim's issues. But if he can't round out his game to the point that he's not an utter liability when he's on the ice, he won't even get a real chance to be part of their solution.

It really depends on just how patient the coaching staff will be with him. Clearly there are areas to his game that need shored up. I just think it's kind of early in the process to know one way or the other. In Pit, he wasn't gonna be given that chance. We'll see if the Ducks are more pragmatic or not. That said it's hard to determine much of anything when that entire team save Gibson is a train wreck.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Hmm.

Why do I calculate more like way less than 27 goals?

ANA has 38 games left. Sprong scored 5 goals in 15 games with them. At best he's on pace for 15 goals, right?

Am I wrong? Are you calculating that over 82 games? Why do an 82 game pace when 30% of the year wasn't on ANA?

To clarify, I meant he's on a 27 goal pace if he played a full 82 games at his current rate of 5g in 15 games. 82/3=27

 

[Fogel]

For some context, in the 15 games for Sprong since the trade:

PIT - 18GP 68 GF (so the Pens have scored double the goals in 3 more game)
ANA - 34GF 46GA
Sprong - 5G 1A 6P 2PPG 1PPA, -5
Getzlaf - 1G 6A 7P 0PPG 0PPA, -8
Henrique - 2G 5A 7P 1PPG 2PPA, -3

He isn't that far off the performance of the two centers he has primarily playing with and is pretty close to Henrique in terms of points and % of points from EV/PP. I think expectations are a bit off in this light. Was he suppose to be driving line play and outperforming his centers at 21 even though he lost a development AHL year due to mismanagement?

 

[td_ice]

That's a brilliant thread title.

 

[Gurglesons]

For some context, in the 15 games for Sprong since the trade:

PIT - 18GP 68 GF (so the Pens have scored double the goals in 3 more game)
ANA - 34GF 46GA
Sprong - 5G 1A 6P 2PPG 1PPA, -5
Getzlaf - 1G 6A 7P 0PPG 0PPA, -8
Henrique - 2G 5A 7P 1PPG 2PPA, -3

He isn't that far off the performance of the two centers he has primarily playing with and is pretty close to Henrique in terms of points and % of points from EV/PP. I think expectations are a bit off in this light. Was he suppose to be driving line play and outperforming his centers at 21 even though he lost a development AHL year due to mismanagement?

I mean, given the criticism of Sullivan was given over this decision and the arguments made by his fans on here that we would regret this trade for years to come. Yes. He should be able to perform.

Also, maybe like here the lines are worse because of Sprong because he isn’t an NHLer?

 

[3074326]

I don't know why or how this debate is still ongoing. This team clearly needed someone like Pettersson more than someone like Sprong. And this isn't out of left field - there are folks who were saying that when the trade was made. Our defense was garbage and Sprong wasn't helping that AT ALL. So we swapped the "goal scorer" for a competant, young Dman who fits what the team is doing and the team has been incredible.

What a shock. Is Titor still clamoring for the days of old when the Pens didn't look like a playoff team? He wanted to be right more than he wanted the Pens to win, so he's on ignore..

 

[Coastal Kev]

While I agree with that... the issue however is that unless he was going to make significant changes to his game to round it out.... we would still be having the same conversation next season. Sprong would do very well in the AHL due to his skillset, and fail in the NHL because he can't have success in the NHL based solely on his skillset.

The bottom line is the kid doesn't have Kessel's elite offensive abilities... which means he needs to bring more to the table then just his offense.

Says you. Your beloved Rust went 25+ games before breaking out bigly this season. Who's to say Sprong wouldn't have done the same if not greater if given the opportunity????

Boink

 

[Riptide]

Says you. Your beloved Rust went 25+ games before breaking out bigly this season. Who's to say Sprong wouldn't have done the same if not greater if given the opportunity????

Boink

Because he's getting said "greater opportunity" and doing jack shit with it. His numbers are still utter trash, his team is still getting out shot, out chanced and out scored and his teammates are still doing better when Sprong isn't on their line.

 

[Gurglesons]

Says you. Your beloved Rust went 25+ games before breaking out bigly this season. Who's to say Sprong wouldn't have done the same if not greater if given the opportunity????

Boink

His career statistics and numbers in the NHL when compared to Rust’s?

One showed a player performing well and being unlucky. Sprong is literally one of the worst forwards in the entire league statistically.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Says you. Your beloved Rust went 25+ games before breaking out bigly this season. Who's to say Sprong wouldn't have done the same if not greater if given the opportunity????

Boink

The 2 plus year of evidence that Rust can score at the NHL level and the fact he was still creating chances just not getting the result.

Then on the other side Sprong looks like a lost kid in a busy mall.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

From having read most of the player discussion thread around Sprong over at the Ducks board I would say most aren't that displeased with him thus far. I'd even venture to say some are hopefull/happy that he looks to be able to provide good secondary scoring in the future for them. They don't talk nearly as much about Pettersson as we do Sprong thats for damn sure.

 

[Empoleon8771]

From having read most of the player discussion thread around Sprong over at the Ducks board I would say most aren't that displeased with him thus far. I'd even venture to say some are hopefull/happy that he looks to be able to provide good secondary scoring in the future for them. They don't talk nearly as much about Pettersson as we do Sprong thats for damn sure.

Because I doubt that there are any Pettersson fanboys among Ducks fans like there are Sprong fanboys among Penguins fans

 

[Turin]

I mean

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

Because I doubt that there are any Pettersson fanboys among Ducks fans like there are Sprong fanboys among Penguins fans

Rightfully so it's not like he was a "can't miss" blue chip or something.