The Detroit Red Wings added a 20-goal scorer to their roster on the opening day of free agency.
Daniel Sprong, a right-shot forward from the Netherlands, was signed to a one-year deal worth $2 million. It was the fourth signing Saturday for general manager Steve Yzerman, who also mined the market for goaltenders James Reimer and Alex Lyon and defenseman Justin Holl.
At 26, Sprong fits into the core group that Yzerman is building around, though the short team deal indicates this is an audition to see if Sprong can make the Wings better.
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Sprong (6 feet, 202 pounds) is coming off a career-best 21 goals and 25 assists in 66 games with the Seattle Kraken. He scored 13 goals in 2020-21 with the Washington Capitals and 14 in 2018-19 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but otherwise has been in single digits.
A veteran of four NHL teams, Sprong has 67 goals and 49 assists in 268 career games. He projects to be third on the depth chart behind right-shot right wings Lucas Raymond and David Perron.