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Montreal Canadiens Could Strike Waiver Wire Gold Again

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 2: Vancouver Canucks Left Wing Sven Baertschi (47) passing the puck during the Vancouver Canucks versus the Montreal Canadiens game on November 2, 2016, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 2: Vancouver Canucks Left Wing Sven Baertschi (47) passing the puck during the Vancouver Canucks versus the Montreal Canadiens game on November 2, 2016, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CALGARY, AB – MARCH 29: Anaheim Ducks Left Wing Daniel Sprong (11) (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB – MARCH 29: Anaheim Ducks Left Wing Daniel Sprong (11) (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Daniel Sprong

One of the biggest surprises on waivers this morning is Daniel Sprong. The Pittsburgh Penguins took Sprong in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft and he actually made the team out of training camp as an 18 year old. He played 18 games before being sent back to the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL.

Sprong is a highly skilled right winger that has scored impressive totals at every level below the NHL. He just turned 22 years old, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could soon turn into a scorer at the NHL level as well.

In the 2017-18 season he scored 32 goals and 65 points in 65 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. He was 20 years old at the time, showing he had the skills to be a trusted scorer at the pro level at an early age.

Sprong split last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. With the Penguins, he was used in a fourth line role and scored accordingly. He had just four assists in 16 games before being shipped to the Anaheim Ducks.

In Anaheim, he was given better linemates, skating alongside Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie for most of his 47 games with the Ducks. He scored 14 goals in that time but had just five assists. This shouldn’t be a condemnation of his playmaking ability, as almost everyone in Anaheim had a hard time scoring goals last season. Ritchie had nine in 60 games and Henrique dipped below the 20 goal threshold for the first time in four years.

Sprong’s 14 goals in 47 games had him putting the puck in the net at the rate of a 24 goal scorer over a full NHL campaign. He was a highly touted prospect for a reason and showed he can certainly score 20 goals if given decent linemates.

With the Habs, Sprong would slot in behind Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki on the right side. That could put him on a third line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jonathan Drouin. Playing with two skilled playmakers and primarily facing third pairing defensemen, Sprong could score 25 goals with the Habs.

Paul Byron was able to become a consistent 20 goal scorer after the Habs claimed him on waivers, why not Sprong who grew up in the area? He has one year left with a paltry cap hit of $750,000, so he will be motivated to prove he is an NHL caliber player after being given up on by the Ducks.

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