chronic yapping™️

*disclaimer: all of this information is googleable & found across various interviews from Tye, his parents and other information surrounding him & games he has been in! If you want a link to a specific article, please feel free to ask! Also, feel free to send this to others, but keep the primer on tumblr & don't crosspost to other platforms :) keeping fourth walls intact is very important to me.

Childhood

Tye Kartye was born to Richelle & Todd Kartye on April 20, 2001.

His mom is a clinical nurse educator & his father is a chemistry teacher in Kingston.

Tye also has a younger sister, Talya, who is two years younger. They were both also incredibly athletic kids. Tye played soccer and hockey, plus touch football while Talya played basketball and volleyball.

This boy is also so hardworking. Well-known by the nickname, "No Quit" Kartye, he is constantly lauded by numerous past coaches as incredibly hard-working, and focused. To quote his dad, he knew from his childhood that, "he wanted and was going to be in the NHL."

included also, since there are very few photos of Karts as a kiddo: here are some of his Prezi's. Note from topics like stick flex to environmental effects, he is so dedicated and focused in his details. Truly a teachers' son

Stick Flex Prezi

Environmental Effects Prezi

Tough Road Ahead

Of course, Tye's path hasn't been easy to where he is and it starts pretty young.

He took the more traditional route, played in house leagues before going up into high school hockey and then AA & AAA.

Of course, then comes time for the OHL draft. Karts isn't drafted in the first round, nor the second round, not even the third.

Tye is drafted by the Soo Greyhounds in 2017 in the eighth round. Not only is he selected dead in the middle, but he also was cut his first training camp. Instead, he went back to midget AAA and worked his ass off.

In fact, his former coach John Dean, who was named HC of the Greyhounds in 2018-2019 had heard about the skinny kid told to get bigger/stronger in his exit meeting. He came in that year, and said about Karts that "Here comes this moose of a man, who clearly took direction very literally and took it to heart."

Karts took his time in the OHL, and spent a good bit of it working to improve. As it came closer to draft time, he bumped up his work to a more physical level. This was supposed to help his game, but also his potential for the draft. Keep this in mind.

Karts was first eligible for the 2019 draft. He was not selected. Now, he'll mention that he didn't feel he was ready at all at the time.

But! He does partake in the 2019 Development Camp for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So, Karts plays another year and, is eligible for the 2020 draft.

He isn't selected again. In fact, routinely his scouting reports talk about his skating ability, or lack thereof. Even for a larger player for his age (6'0 and 175+), his skating was seemingly enough of a deterent. He was disappointed, especially after a good season.

Then 2020-21 hits and the OHL season is cancelled. Tye keeps practicing.

photo credits: this blog post about tye

The Undrafted Kid

2021 comes, and the Kraken need bodies for their first development camp. They've got draft picks (Matty Beniers, Ryker Evans, Ryan Winterton to name a few) but they've gotta invite a few more for the incoming guys to spend time with.

Mike Dawson, a scout for the Kraken, started doing his homework. He noted how weird it was this kid hadn't been picked, mentioned it might be because he's a later bloomer.

He gets an invite to the 2021 Development Camp, and while he doesn't get a contract the Kraken now know his name.

He begins to push in his 2021-22 season with the Greyhounds. Not only did he recieve an A, he also scored over 100 career points with them, but also ended the year 4th overall in league scoring, and led the league in PPGs and GWGs as well as ended the season with 79 points (and 57 PIMs, he's been a bit of yapper his whole life).

So March 2022 hits, and the Kraken finally bite. Tye gets an ELC, and he's ready to work.

Also additionally, Ron Francis is an ICON for Tye, who is a Soo Greyhounds alum. The Rink in the Soo is literally on Ron Francis Way.

CVF + Hard Work makes the Dream Work

Tye comes into the new CVF team for the 22-23 season. He attended Kraken training camp, but let's be real. Tye needed more time to prepare.

Karts comes in, and is ready to show off what he can do. He also is trading cold, Canadian weather for the hot Valley and grabbing his golf clubs.

Note of importance: he becomes really good friends with Ryker Evans & Luke Henman.

He starts as a fourth-liner. And, he struggles. He has little ice time, as well as few opportunities.

But, he gets better. And better, and better and better. Soon, he's one of the Firebird's top 6 forwards, and he's skyrocketing towards being a potential call up.

Although it comes later, by the end of the 22-23 Firebirds season (off of a devastating Game 7 loss to the Hershey Bears), Tye is awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for AHL Rookie of the year and is also placed on the AHL Rookie All-Star Team. He led all rookies in points, and appeared in every game for the Firebirds that season.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, because Tye's breakout moments in the AHL don't just end there. They lead to the real deal.

photo credits: Firebirds Media

The Call Up & Goal Heard Round Colorado

So come April, Tye gets recalled to the Kraken who are going on a completely unprecedented and expected playoff run. Not only is it a little unexpected (he's a rookie coming up from his first year in the AHL instead of a vet, and he's having to replace the Jared McCann).

But, Tye gets it because of what has always been the case. He's a hardworker, a grinder and he will make others notice him through it.

So, he comes in for Game 5 of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs versus the Colorado Avalanche. He finds out that morning he's playing, and sends a single word text to his mom, just saying "playing" at 12:00 PM EST.

His parents begin their journey to Denver, arriving just a few minutes into the first period.

The first period stays scoreless, and the second begins. Geekie scores, before a response by Nathan MacKinnon.

Then a few moments later, Nate MacKinnon trips and is laying on the ground. The crowd is roaring for a call, and Eberle is skating the puck up and around Colorado goal. A quick shot down and a one-timer from Karts nails the puck in the back of the net past the Avs goalie.

Let me say, even for those as a fan of the Avs, the look on NateMac's face when this happens is unbelievable. He's in shock, completely. And meanwhile, Tye is having a fantastic time grinning and celebrating what only 7 other players have done, scoring their first goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Also, let it be noted that Karts gets back to the locker room after the game. Pure joy from his goal, and what is the first thing he does? Check his phone to see the Firebirds game and how they did.

Not only was that his first instinct, he also was almost more excited about the potential to be back down with the Firebirds. He loves following his dream, but god did he love the Firebirds and family he built there.

Of course, the Kraken’s road to the Stanley Cup is ended in Game 7 of the Second Round vs. the Stars. But! In this time, Kartye has stayed up and even in the place of Jared McCann in some spots.

And then he goes back down to CV for the harrowing journey that was their 22-23 Calder Cup Playoff Run.

photos credit: Steph Chambers & Icon Photography

The Summer After & Rookie Experiences

Of course, Tye became one to watch in the lead up to the 23-24 season.

During which included a delightful video with bestie Ryker Evans and Matt Tennyson, on Episode 7 of Tenny Talks.

I'm simply going to link to the video, because it is insanely funny and it also shows off Tye's personality so well.

So, the summer ends and Tye ends up with the Kraken for 23-24 season.

I could probably spend hours discussing this season, but for our key highlights we're gonna focus on just a few things.

Throwback to our note of importance: anytime Ryker gets called up, he stays in a hotel. Not only does he end up knowing the car valet by name, any time he does almost anything, it is with Tye & Joey. He literally went over to Tye’s to do laundry while Tye’s girlfriend cooked them dinner. Besties for real.

First and foremost, Tye doesn't get a ton of chances. First rookie up (really the only rookie during the season for the Kraken minus other call ups), he gets scratched first a decent amount of times, especially prior to December. But! He keeps working hard, and by the end of the season he has well cemented his place as a fourth liner (who can def move up the line up if needed to).

Second, he really starts to gain a lot of perspective & skills from Yanni Gourde. Note, not only did he dress up as the Easter Bunny in 2024 for the Kraken's kiddos (like Matty did in 2023), but he also really focuses on the aspects of his game that he can improve and make stronger. So what does he do?

He gets into a few scrums (which early on he loses badly), and becomes known as a player who will fight for his teammates. (key fights include: him absolutely lighting up Pospisil after the first period hit on Adam in the Kraken v. Calgary game on March 3).

He also starts to up his physicality. And when I say up, I mean up. Tye ended the 23-24 season with 229 hits, placing him 19th in the entire league.

And of my favorite: Tye is a Grade A yapper. Like literally, this man will yap whenever he needs to. And one of the most iconic times might I add is against Connor McDavid, who Karts almost succeeds to into scrapping with. Known non-fighter Connor McDavid. (Note: this occurred after McDavid checked Ryker Evans, these firebirds turned squids don't play about each other).

photo credits: steph chambers (i believe, but if not, please correct me!)

gifs from: @starshipoftheseus

This Season and Beyond

So where does that leave Tye now? Well, if you tune in to almost any Kraken game, you're sure to see him on the fourth line (likely with Yanni Gourde & Brandon Tanev).

He’s likely to be spotted hanging out with fellow former firebirds Joey Daccord, Shane Wright, and Ryker Evans. They all went to the Halloween party in a group costume and are frequent dinner buddies, with Joey finding gluten-free restaurants for himself and Ryker.

There's also some interest bubbling up, especially because as of posting this, the Kraken re-acquired Daniel Sprong. What does that mean? Well, due to lots of cap things & money stuff, the Kraken essentially with every player healthy can only carry a 20-man roster. This means either someone has to be traded, or you've gotta send the 13th forward down to the AHL. While Karts hasn't been rumored in any trades (and frankly his contract isn't big enough trade value-wise to really help), there is still the possibility he could go on waivers and be sent back down to CV if not performing. So this is definitely a step-up time while the Kraken wait for Vince Dunn to get off of LTIR (which we saw on the 11/12 game against CBJ, where Karts scored the first goal in the second period and his second of the year).

Bjorky is from an American family but born in Denmark since his father was a hockey player who was incentivized to play in Denmark.

His dad was friends with John Tortorella in college hockey.

This is important.

While Ollie was growing up, his dad was probably one of the most well-known names in hockey. Which made the attention on Ollie all the more intense. Plus: his dad coached him. (Ollie is the little baby in the blue helmet)

Of that time, reflecting back on it later, Ollie has said: “My dad’s pretty demanding. He expects hard work and so on.” His dad fairly infamously suspended 5 teenagers from his own team from the World Juniors for goofing off during a media apperance. Oliver has said he noticed that his dad has softened his approach since those times coaching his son.

And of coaching Oliver, his dad says: “Oliver was young. He was only 16. And he was pretty easy. He pretty much just tries to do his best when you give him instructions.”

Overall, the coaching worked: Oliver becomes excellent.

He begins his career in Denmark and quickly outpaces the skill level there, leading him to being selected 26th overall in the WHL import draft in 2012. He moves to the States to play for the Portland Winterhawks.

In 2013, he is selected 89th overall in the NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He will return to the WHL for the next couple seasons, where he wins championships and overall dominates the league. People know Oliver Bjorkstrand’s name.

He starts professionally in the AHL for the 2015-16 season, then makes his NHL debut in March of 2016.

He scores two goals in his second NHL game. The kid’s good.

He’s sent back to the AHL for their Calder Cup run and lmao Bjorkstrand literally wins them the Calder Cup dude like he scores the game winning goal in SO many of these games, including the final one!

HAHA FUCK THE HERSHEY BEARS (sorry, kraken fan, I have to say this, sorry) the Monsters win against them for the Calder Cup!

And Oliver is named the Most Valuable Player :)

Oliver belongs up with the NHL the next season and now we have to talk about a very important part of his lore.

John Tortorella is in charge of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

And he is. Very intense with Oliver Bjorkstrand. Oliver deflects a lot of the intensity by saying that he was prepared for Torts style by being coached by his dad, who is very similar. Which. Okay. Feeling normal about that!!

Where to start…there’s so much:

Torts tells Bjorkstrand that, to be a good player, he needs to copy Artemi Panarin. He doesn’t need to be Oliver Bjorkstrand; he needs to be more like an entirely different player. A player with a language barrier so high that Oliver can’t even become friends with him or have many conversations with him. He just has to try (and he fails) to become more like him.

He tells Bjorkstrand to be more like Panarin in front of the whole team, on the ice at practice. And the whole team is asked to support it, with Nick Foligno stating “[Bjorky] would be stupid not to learn from [Panarin]. And we know he’s not stupid.”

Torts pits Bjorkstrand and Anthony Duclair against one another, publicly, stating that there’s only room for one of them on the third line and the other one will be scratched if he isn’t good enough. This is discussed openly. Multiple articles about it.

The media has a field day, getting quotes from all parties involved and seeing who will please Tortorella the most.

This drags on, as Bjorkstrand struggles to get basic respect and regular ice time, but eventually he does. The Jackets enter the playoffs consistently from 2016-17 onwards.

Upon elimination from the playoffs in the 2020-2021 playoffs (a very strange pandemic series) he makes a statement: he wants to keep going. Despite the struggles of these early years with Torts, he is a committed Blue Jacket. He signs a five-year extension to remain with them in 2021.

That summer, he suffers the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks with the rest of his teammates. It could break them, but they show up to training camp ready to go for him.

And Oliver Bjorkstrand shows up with a brand new A on his sweater. They win in their home opener, and Bjorkstrand says of their lost goalie, “We played for him.”

He is a leader in this team. He certainly worked for it. But moves are necessary to bolster a broken team.

The Jackets don’t make the playoffs in the 21-22 season and Oliver Bjorkstrand spends his long summer getting married.

And then, during his honeymoon, he picks up his phone to find multiple missed calls and messages from his GM.

Oliver Bjorkstrand has been traded. On his honeymoon. To the very much struggling Seattle Kraken heading into their second season.

General manager Kekalainen says this was “the toughest decision” he’d made as a GM, sharing how wonderful Oliver is as a person.

He is gracious about it. He understands. He knows that his salary is high and space needs to be made, mostly for Johnny Gaudreau who is bringing much needed stardom for the team.

Ever the team player, ever the class act, Bjorkstrand and his wife reach out to Johnny and Meredith and personally sell them their new house so they don’t need to look too much for a house to move into. To make the move easy on two people even as they’re forced out.

So Oliver comes to Seattle. He struggles but he also doesn’t have to be EXCELLENT. He can be steady.

When Seattle adds on Eeli Tolvanen, Bjorky seems to bloom a little more. They become very close, laughing and talking constantly during games.

Those two get put on a line with Yanni Goirde and become affectionately known as the Brothers Line. Why?

“Those guys bicker like brothers,” head coach Dave Hakstol says of the three. They push each other. They joke. They’re goofing off and they’re also productive.

Oliver and his line get all the way to the first playoff appearance of the Kraken’s history.

And Oliver Bjorkstrand gets the game winning goal in game seven of their first playoff series.

No, the Kraken did not win the Cup. Of course not. But he did win them a playoff series that NO ONE expected them to win. And that secured him a spot in our hearts.

The next season, the Kraken are back to struggling, but Bjorkstrand continues to put the work in to be the steady presence with occasional game-breaking goals that we’ve grown to expect from him.

He is named all-star and he is…so Oliver Bjorkstrand about it lmao it’s so funny. If you know anything about him before this, it’s most likely this? Here’s an article.

At the All-Star game, he’s last to be chosen at the draft :/ but he scores first in the game for his team :)

Unfortunately, the Kraken continue to struggle after this and beyond, into the next season.

In November 2024, he’s healthy scratched for the first time in years. Coach Dan Bylsma (who replaced the fired Hakstol) sent the message that no one on the team was beyond reproach, including our current all-star.

And the media, they, uh. They asked Oliver’s dad about it.

Imagine getting scolded at work and then some people go and ask your dad about it lmao but he says: “He’s just got to take it and learn from it and try to be better.”

Great lmao

Bjorkstrand isn’t radically different after that, and his name begins to be floated around as a trade piece because he still isn’t to the level the Kraken hoped he would be when they traded for him in 2022.

He is traded during trade deadline week in 2025, along with Yanni Gourde, to Tampa.

And this is where we are now.

So this is who Oliver Bjorkstrand has been: a father’s protege, a juniors’ phenom, an AHL champion, a coach’s project, a gracious trade piece, a man who sells his home to the guy who pushed him out of town, a player who cancels his vacation to represent his team, a guy who looks like a professor but will drop the gloves in a second if so asked.

His NHL playoff appearance over the five years has only ever come in unexpected seasons, as the underdog. He was excellent in that appearance. EXCELLENT. I’m so excited to see how being a true contender ties in with that play.

And if we can stop asking his dad’s opinion when he fucks up, that would be AWESOME that would BE GREAT.

Anyway. I love him. Here’s him being really hot in Columbus.

(📸) My usual disclaimer: these are primers, not biographies. They’re here to fit narratives, not every detail in. Please let me know if you’d like a specific source for something if I haven’t linked it directly, it might be in a source linked elsewhere in the primer. Okay! Let’s go!

Beginnings

Daniel Sprong was born March 17, 1997 in Amsterdam to Hannie and Sandra Sprong. He also has a sister.

Hannie had been a professional ice hockey player drawn to the sport due to the “Miracle on Ice” during the Olympics in Lake Placid. He was captivated throughout his life and passed that captivation down to his son.

He coached Daniel from practically his infancy, and because of the small size of the Dutch hockey community, Daniel was soon age 4 playing with boys upwards of 9 and 10 years old.

The way the family talks about it, it sounds nearly impossible to grow in talent. There was one rink in Amsterdam, leading to very little ice time. The rink also closed between March and September.

So Hannie began taking Daniel and other kids to Quebec to train during the summer.

When I say “kids,” I mean Daniel is five when this starts and the other kids are 9 or 10. He attracts the attention of trainers and organizers for the Toronto Marlies youth organization.

When he’s 7, a trainer suggests they move to Canada to develop his talent. Daniel has said that the suggestion was originally a “joke,” to move there for a year and see where it might go.

The family actually goes. They move from the Netherlands to Canada so their seven-year-old can play hockey. Hannie takes a job distributing frozen fruits and vegetables.

Okay. Pause. Let that sink in. Professional hockey player dad takes a job distributing frozen fruits and vegetables so seven-year-old Daniel can play hockey.

Pressure’s on.

Juniors in Canada

(📸) Daniel wants to be Canadian. He never receives an invitation to play with the Dutch national teams, even in IIHF tournaments, which can bring significant scout attention. He does this for a few reasons, one of which is that he wants to pursue Canadian citizenship and doesn’t want to jeopardize that. The other is about the talent pool. He wants to win.

He says of this decision, “I knew right away I didn't want to play for the Dutch team. […] if you have a chance to play against the best in the world, that's what you want to do. It's nothing against my home country, but if I had a chance to play for Canada I want to."

Sprong plays in the QMJHL, with the Charlottetown Islanders, and he’s widely known as one of the best, if not THE best player during his time in juniors. He’s included alongside the likes of Connor McDavid in juniors showcases (a fun fact for Kraken fans; Spronger also plays in a showcase team with Vince Dunn during this time).

Why is he so good? It’s his shot.

Daniel Sprong’s shot is absolutely insane. He can score from anywhere on ice, just this precise, lethal shot that allows him to put up huge numbers for his team. This has always been the case. He’s got this god given talent that he’s honed into near perfection.

But during this time, it’s noted from several scouts that his defense is lacking. That natural talent of his seen from just 4 years old is still there but it must be balanced if he is to achieve true success, they warn.

Still, his scouting report describes him as “absolutely electric.”

Meanwhile, the GM of his juniors team shares “I’d like for him to just be a kid a little bit. With Daniel, we’re constantly telling him to maybe just relax.”

But there’s no time to relax. He’s had one goal in mind since he was a child. And he’s still a child.

He submits his name for consideration in the NHL draft as soon as he’s eligible.

It’s a pretty competitive draft in 2015, a very deep and rich talent pool starting way up on the top. But Sprong is counted among the best prospects available.

Pittsburgh Penguins

(📸) Sprong is drafted in the second round, 46th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pascal Dupuis, a much beloved Penguin who had just retired, trains with him in the summer and speaks highly of him, stating, “He has that big smile on his face. He’s one of those guys who wants to learn.”

So what happens?

Sprong makes the team right away after a fantastic training camp. However, his older teammates sour on him right away.

One anecdote to illustrate this: He doesn’t have a license, but no one will drive him. He has to take an Uber alone every single time he goes to the practice facility.

Coach Mike Sullivan also doesn’t trust him defensively, so he slots Daniel on the fourth line with grinders. Hitters and blockers and guys sent out there to just bide time for the Penguins’ superstars to be ready to take over.

But Sprong isn’t a grinder. He’s a shooter. It was not a good match.

He gets benched through entire periods. He gets healthy scratched again and again. He gets sent back to Juniors that rookie year, has shoulder surgery and sits out most of the next year, then spends major time in the AHL the third year.

He does seem to mellow out. He never lashes out publicly anyway.

There’s an edge to him, though. There’s always an edge.

When asked about why he would be consistently scratched, Daniel says this: “That’s my opinion. And I’ll keep that to myself.”

We don’t know much from that statement but we can gather that either a) he wasn’t told a real reason or b) if he was told a reason, he disagreed with it or was calling bullshit. On his coach.

Anyway. He’s traded shortly after that.

Anaheim Ducks

(📸)Daniel Sprong is traded across the country for Marcus Pettersson.

He’s still very young, despite all his professional seasons. He made the NHL so early that it’s easy to forget how young he is. He asks for time to develop, to be able to prove that he belongs on a team in the National Hockey League for the long haul. But there’s not a lot of time in this competitive of a league.

Sprong fails to make this team out of training camp. He’s placed on waivers like many others during this time for reassignment to San Diego.

Of this time, he says frankly that he was hoping another team would pick him up so he could enter the NHL.

(After all, did his father take a job distributing frozen foods for his son to end up anywhere else but the NHL?)

It doesn’t happen. So he’s sent down to San Diego. His coach sees Sprong just waiting for his first call-up; lazy play follows. But they have open and honest conversations.

At this point, Sprong says, “You kind of look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘You know what? This is not the right way you’re playing. You’re not helping yourself or the team.’ You kind of reflect.”

He shows more self-awareness. When asked about a wild spin-o-rama goal, Daniel states “I think it’s just the high-risk plays I make sometimes. There’s a time and place for it. And I think that sometimes bites me in the ass where you make that high-risk play and it doesn’t work.”

Familiar refrains begin to trickle out of the org. His coach on the San Diego Gulls, states that he wants Sprong to play “a more responsible game.” This was about the same as every story about him out of Pittsburgh, too.

But some things do seem to improve. He creates better relationships among his team. There’s a young core building there in San Diego and Anaheim, and he notes enjoying time with the group of five who live in a hotel rather than getting a lease.

And this time? One major thing is different. He jokes, “I’m the Uber.” He drives all his teammates to the rink and to games.

He also says this: “I know there’s a lot of rumors or things going on being said about me. But that’s out of my control. I know what’s going on behind the scenes and I’m just focused on right now.”

Let it never be said that Daniel Sprong doesn’t bring a flair for the dramatic.

Washington Capitals

(📸) Daniel is traded in February 2020 to the Washington Capitals after, frankly, failing to deliver what coaches wanted from him in Anaheim.

While they had tried desperately to get a more defensive game out of him, it always came at the expense of his offensive talent. He ended up looking like a player who didn’t belong.

He’s assigned to the Hershey Bears and then the world shuts down for the pandemic sorry lol.

BUT before that, here’s what Spencer Carbery says when they acquire him: “What my job and his job coming into this organization is: where are you at in your career, what’s keeping you out of the NHL, and how can we help get you there. It’s more ‘What do we need to do to help Daniel Sprong?’”

This is the central thesis always. Coaches look at Sprong and all seem to diagnose him the same way: They get excited by his talent, his shot clearly deserving to be in the NHL. But they all see the drawbacks.

And they all wonder if they can figure him out. Sometimes I wonder if Daniel Sprong is wondering the same thing. Who will be the one to understand how to help Daniel Sprong?

In early 2021, the Capitals have him up as their 13th forward quite often. When he’s able to draw in, he’s scoring. He’s also their youngest skater at 23.

(It has been 16 fast years since his family moved across the world so he could play on a hockey team that matched his talent.)

He does well with the Caps but still familiar complaints come calling.

When the 21-22 season comes rolling along, the Capitals in playoff position, they trade Sprong to reacquire Marcus Johansson, who Seattle had signed before their inaugural season and who the Caps missed.

Why? Because “MoJo” is trusted to slot into the top line in Washington, while Sprong keeps. Getting. Healthy. Scratched. He’s not trusted out there.

So Sprong is once again sent across the country. He says of this trade he didn’t expect it; the writing wasn’t written on the wall.

But it’s time to go.

Seattle Kraken

(📸) Sprong sticks around for the last few games of the abysmal inaugural season of the Seattle Kraken and then is invited on a professional try out the next summer.

Why? Because Ron Francis isn’t sold on him yet. By this point, Sprong’s reputation precedes his lethal shot.

But he’s just too good to pass up. So Sprong slots in.

The Kraken put him on the fourth line but it’s different this time. Remember back in Pittsburgh when he was slotted with physical grinders? This time, Sprong is with Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie. He’s with two guys not known for grinding, but for electric efficiency.

The 22-23 Kraken are what Sprong was truly waiting for. This forwards’ roster was commonly called four second lines, not one particularly better or worse than the other.

Sprong makes close friends, too. They chirp him in the locker room and he chirps right back. He goes on an all-star break vacation with a bunch of the boys. He and Andre Burakovsky become so close that Sprong admits he skipped a practice to go visit Burky when he was injured, calling it "a bromance break."

And Sprong has the best season of his career. He’s so good.

Of course, the familiar talks surface. Coach Hakstol is open about being unimpressed with Sprong’s defensive play. This is nothing new.

He has forty point season.

Yes. Let me repeat that. A forty-point season as a fourth liner on a deal that started out on a PTO.

Crazy lol and he’s a restricted free agent. Seattle has first dibs.

But they don’t qualify him. They let him walk.

There’s still a lack of trust in Daniel Sprong.

Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks

(📸) Sprong is signed to the Red Wings for the 23-24 season, on a one-year contract.

(I should also say he is very randomly accused of beating up an IndyCar driver over the summer? It was so weird. But I’d feel weird not putting it in there so here lol)

But anyway. One year contract. That’s it. This is the story now. He puts up big numbers, pisses off some coach who can’t coach him past his natural offensive talent, and gets on a team that sees what they can do with him on an affordable contract.

His season with the Red Wings is a success, all things considered.

He goes on another All Star Break trip with Brandon Tanev, their friendship intact.

He’s still irresponsible defensively but he does well enough. He gives up his 88 when Kane signs on which is kinda funny.

They let him walk in free agency, though, mostly because they need cap space for their more solid players who are up for extensions.

Daniel then signs with the Vancouver Canucks for the 24-25 season. He notes a phone call with Tocchet seals the deal, since he knew him since Pittsburgh.

Tocchet says of the signing: “I don’t want him to think too much. […] He needs to understand who he is on that line.” He stresses the necessity of building trust with his linemates and not “wandering around” waiting to shoot the puck. He shares that Sprong is proactive with asking coaches for feedback which he appreciates. And then he—

Oh. Well. Okay, so this is a little different.

He lasts…a month with the Canucks.

Of the trade, Tocchet states that he feels Daniel is “a great kid” and he felt “it wasn’t fair to him” that he was playing 10 minutes a night on the fourth line. So they let him go.

He goes back to the Kraken for future considerations.

Some Future Considerations (hehe)

Right now, Sprong has an uncertain future with the Kraken, but we can check the facts.

He notes he “never really wanted to leave” Seattle in the first place and that he is very happy to be back with some of his closest friends.

The thing is — the Kraken know who Sprong is. He’s been scratched already, seen taking a stern talking to from Coach Jess Campbell during a game, too. He is who he is.

But he’s important to the fanbase, too.

Sprong is emblematic of the 22-23 Kraken, a team that many of us miss very dearly. He was a beloved character in the locker room, tough in a way that our fanbase really loved.

He’s a journeyman who loves scoring “fuck-you” goals against his previous teams, and a guy who’s been burning bridges his whole career.

But he hasn’t burned this one somehow. Sprong is not warmly welcomed back in many places, but he was welcomed back here.

And look, home seems to be tough for Sprong. He shares when talking about his tattoos that his family has been his "pack," a constant of people if not location.

I’m not sure what it feels like to leave your home at 7 and be asked to rise to the highest level imaginable to make that move worth it for yourself and your family. I’m not sure what it feels like to be praised for a talent and then told to do something completely different from that talent in order to be taken seriously. I’m not sure what it feels like to be kicked out, traded, and dismissed just as often as having bewildered praise heaped upon you.