Devils Coach Praises Snake-Bitten Forward; Defying Pre-Existing Narrative

NEWARK—When the New Jersey Devils acquired forward Daniel Sprong from the Seattle Kraken at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the 28-year-old came with one glaring narrative attached to him.

The consensus on Sprong and his game was that although he knew how to score, his defense was poor, thus he was put on waivers by the Seattle Kraken, and cleared. He then spent 19 games in the American Hockey League earlier this season.

However, the Devils acquired Sprong knowing they would need scoring reinforcements after Jack Hughes went down with injury.

Upon Sprong’s acquisition, Sheldon Keefe had an idea of what the former 20-plus goalscorer was all about.

“Sprong, to me, we’ve talked a ton about depth scoring. I know he’s been in the American [Hockey] League, but he’s been one of the best depth scorers in the NHL for the last few years,” Keefe explained following the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. “He can certainly score goals. So, I think that that helps us, giving us a little bit of an infusion and some skill. There are some things in his game, obviously, that are the reasons why he’s not in the league. So that’s on him to manage that and for us to help him. But there’s no question this guy can shoot the puck and score goals.”

By “some things,” Keefe was referring to Daniel Sprong‘s ability on the defensive side of the puck.

However, since arriving in New Jersey, any pre-existing notion that Sprong is a poor defender certainly hasn’t made itself present with the Devils.

Although that’s a plus, through seven games with the Devils now, Sprong has yet to register a point.

The purpose of the Devils trade to acquire Sprong was for an injection of offense. It’s not that he hasn’t had his opportunities, either. However, since his return to the NHL, he’s been a bit snake bitten.

“I think, right now, [Sprong’s] a guy that’s coming back up to the NHL from the American Hockey League, and he’s trying to give himself every opportunity to show he belongs,” Keefe said on Saturday. “I think defensively has been tremendous. I’ve been encouraging him to let loose a little bit more offensively. That’s part of why I’ve got him in because I need him to be a difference maker offensively.”

After addressing his struggles to find the scoresheet, Keefe quickly changed the conversation, recognizing the defensive effort. Whereas before, he might have been seen as a liability, he’s not been seen that way in New Jersey so far.

On Saturday against the New York Rangers, there were quite a few instances when Sprong was noticeable on the forecheck, tracking down pucks and forcing turnovers.

A few of those sequences turned into scoring chances for the Devils. A handful even for himself, although he ultimately didn’t convert.

Regardless, in one particular sequence in the neutral zone, Sprong caught up to Vincent Trocheck who was carrying the puck, laid the body on the Ranger forward, and negated New York’s opportunity to set up in the offensive zone, sending the play to the other end of the ice.

It was one of those sequences that forced spectators to reflect on the comments made about Sprong previously, and appreciate the potential evolution at this point in his career.

Perhaps Sprong has learned his lesson and is a better forward in all three zones of the ice. Keefe certainly seems to think he’s pulling his weight, and knows the offense will come, so long as he keeps going the way he is.

“I think he’s been real good, I liked that line [on Saturday]. I thought he was really strong with the puck,” Keefe said. “The puck finds him, like it seems to get onto his stick quite a bit, and you like that. The skill set and the history that he has of scoring in the league tells you that he will score.”

Keefe’s had to mix and match line combinations amid key injuries. In some instances, he’s just been looking for a spark. The new combination of Sprong, Paul Cotter, and Cody Glass was formed over the weekend against the Rangers. While praising Sprong’s defense, the Devils’ head coach expressed excitement about the new trio as a depth line he believes can outclass others moving forward.

“I like that [Sprong] hasn’t hurt us defensively,” Keefe concluded. “He’s done a really nice job. But the skill set is there to help us stay on the puck. And I think with the way we have our line set up today, as an example of Glass and Cotter, I think there are some real possibilities there that we can get some mismatches a little lower in the lineup with their skill set. That can I can help us. I thought that line was good. Sprong was good. [It was] really nice to see Glass back. It was good [line]. So we’ll just stick with it.”

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