Devils News

Devils Trade for Disgruntled Kraken Forward, Depth Islanders Defenseman

Published

3 weeks ago

March 7, 2025

NEWARK—General manager Tom Fitzgerald continues to add to his team’s depth, acquiring Daniel Sprong from the Seattle Kraken in a New Jersey Devils trade, exchanged for a a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Additionally, the Devils trade Adam Beckman to the New York Islanders in exchange for Dennis Cholowski (pending free agent, $775K cap hit) in a separate trade.

Sprong is a nine-year NHL veteran who has 87 goals and 164 points in 363 NHL games under his belt. He’s on an expiring one-year contract worth $975K.

This season, however, Sprong has struggled to crack an NHL lineup. He was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Kraken on Nov. 8th and has been playing down in the American Hockey League for the majority of the season.

Between the Canucks and Kraken, Sprong has appeared in 19 NHL games this season (10 with Seattle, nine with Vancouver). In that span, Sprong collected two goals and five points.

After Sprong cleared waivers on Jan. 8th to go play for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the 27-year-old forward explained he doesn’t believe he belongs in the AHL.

“I want to prove that I don’t belong here,” Sprong said after his first AHL game since the 2019-20 season. “I think my last two years in the NHL kind of speak for itself.”

“At the end of the day, I want to make it clear I am an NHL player and that’s my mindset,” Sprong said.

Sprong has made good on that notion, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 19 AHL games in Coachella Valley.

A native of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sprong had a strong 2022-23 (with Seattle) & 2023-24 (with the Detroit Red Wings) season.

In 2022-23, Sprong set career highs in goals (21) assists (25) and points (46) with the Kraken. He followed that performance in the following season by scoring 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games.

Two days ago, against the Calgary Wranglers, Sprong registered a hat-trick in the Firebirds 8-2 victory.

Sprong & Cholowski join Brian Dumoulin & Cody Glass as the newest Devils.

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