The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t wait long to make another move to shake up their roster, this time trading away Daniel Sprong to the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks will send defenseman Marcus Pettersson in return, in another case of a one-for-one deal.
Like Josh Leivo, who earlier today was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sprong hasn’t been able to find a fit in Pittsburgh despite his obvious offensive potential. Selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, the sensational QMJHL scorer has just nine points in 42 NHL games and was without a goal during his 16 contests this year. Some may say that he rarely looked deserving of a bigger opportunity while in Pittsburgh, but he certainly did in the minor leagues where he recorded 65 points in 65 games last season as a rookie. Still, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to find success with the Penguins in the immediate future, something that the team is desperately chasing while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are still in their prime Cup-contending years.
For Anaheim, there’s little reason to believe that an opportunity won’t be there for Sprong to thrive. The team has been struggling to find consistent offensive presences since Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler started to decline, and still had depth on defense to deal from. Pettersson, while a competent player that looks destined for a long NHL career, was unlikely to supplant the Ducks other star defensemen like Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson or Brandon Montour. With others like Jacob Larsson and Joshua Mahura pushing for playing time as well, there was an obvious fit for these two teams to try and help each other.
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told media after the trade that Pettersson could have a Brian Dumoulin-like affect for the team in the future, and that seems to be the ceiling for the young defenseman. Selected 38th overall in 2014, Pettersson has grown into a capable defender with a long reach, but has still yet to show much offensive upside that could take him to the next level of production. That’s not to say he needs to supply any offense to be productive—especially in Pittsburgh where they already have plenty of firepower—but he was the obvious choice to send out for Anaheim if they were looking to trade from their position of strength.
That lack of offense actually will likely benefit the Penguins, given that Pettersson is up for a new contract after this season. The pending restricted free agent has just 10 points in 49 games, and almost assuredly will be an inexpensive option for Pittsburgh to plug in next season. The team already has five defensemen signed to contracts that total more than $20MM, meaning a player like Pettersson with a reasonable cap hit is necessary. Sprong meanwhile is signed for another season at just a $750K cap hit, giving Anaheim plenty of time to see if they feel he can be a core piece before having to pay him anything substantial.
Interesting,don’t know much on this guy though. Any ducks fan got some insight on his play?
Thanks for asking that question. Have the same one. Ducks fans? Anyone? Anyone?
The fact that the Pens got anyone back for Sprong is a big win, as a Pens/Ducks fan. Pettersson isn’t going to play overly physical in his own zone (he was listed 6’4” 160lbs on his draft day), and he won’t drive an offense as his ceiling is probably 30 points tops. What I can say is he’s efficient in his own zone, and can make passes. He should really take more shots though instead of deferring.
It upsets me how Sprong was (mis)used in Pitt, from the Johnston days to the present, where he’s presumably no longer waiver exempt and had to be traded. But as usual Rutherford got a hell of a deal if you ask me. Pettersson should still look good without the orange.
Thanks for the insight!
Seems to have good size,if he skates decent and is semi physical I’m happy.
Pettersson has higher upside in a physical environment like Anaheim
I don’t know how the Ducks view his ceiling, but he’s a defensive-minded defenseman who sees time as a sixth d-man usually. He’s played well—no glaring mistakes that have cost us (I see about 80% of their games).
I don’t know much about Pettersson but he has to be worth more to the Pen’s defense than Sprong was to their offense while sitting in the press box.
Good deal for both sides. Both players are young, may be a valuable asset on a new team. I don’t know much about Pettersson and what he has down for the Ducks, but Sprong wasn’t going anywhere in a Pens uniform. The Pens are lacking more on defense, than offense. Hope this turns out to be a good trade for both sides.