The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded forward Daniel Sprong to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
The 21-year old Sprong was drafted 46th overall in the second round of the 2015 draft.
The 22-year old Pettersson was drafted 38th overall in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Cap Friendly: “Daniel Sprong is in the first year of a 2 year deal that carries a cap hit of $750,000. He’ll be an RFA with Arb rights when his deal expires in July 2020.
Marcus Pettersson is in the final year of his ELC which carries a cap hit of $794,167, who will be an RFA without Arb rights.”
Jason Mackey: Sprong when asked before the trade why he thought he wasn’t playing: “That’s my opinion. I’ll keep that to myself. Just try to stay focused. It’s out of my control. I can only control what I can control. It’s the coach’s decision if I’m in the lineup or out of the lineup.”
Thoughts from the media
Lance Lyswski: “Something had to give with Sprong. Hasn’t made enough of an impact without the puck. Looks lost in his own zone.”
Adam Getz: “I’m torn between the “Penguins probably should have played Sprong a little more” and “I also don’t really think he’s that good.”
Will Scouch: “I get it. Sprong hasn’t met expectations. The Penguins had an awful month. The Penguins need some defense help.
He’s also a 21 year old who was a point per game 30 goal scorer in the AHL at 20 who ping-ponged between teams for multiple years while Pettersson is… a guy?”
Will Scouch: “Looking at Sprong’s xGs, he was underachieving offensively by ~20% and defensively by -82.5%. That almost certainly will regress.
15+ shot attempts/60 with <10 ES mins/game points me towards jumping the gun on trading him. Negative penalty differential too.”
Hayden Soboleski: “Anaheim now has youngsters Sprong, Terry, Steel, Comtois, Jones to battle for spots up front going forward. A nice little collection to say the least.”
Jesse Marshall: “Here’s the thing about Pettersson. He brings something the Penguins sorely lack. His first pass is great. And his lateral/backwards mobility has always been better than you’d expect of someone with his size.”
Will Scouch: “Pettersson? His offense matched up to what was expected, defense ~30% over expectations, which is high even for the Ducks. He takes more penalties than he draws.”
Puck Pedia: “Pettersson: Drafted 2014 2nd Round 6 assists in 27 games, on ice for 59% of 5v5 GF, 46.5% Expected Goals, 46.6% Corsi. xGF & Corsi 5.8% & 2.2% better relative to teammates”
Daniel Sprong
Marcus Pettersson