Daniel Sprong’s phone has been blowing up, mostly with texts from friends who’ve seen the rumors.
“Are you on the trade block?” they’re wondering.
The answer to that, multiple sources confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently, would be yes.
And Sprong seems well-aware that his days as a Penguin could be numbered.
“I’ve never been dealt before,” Sprong said. “If it happens, it happens; it’s part of the business. That’s all you can do, right? You have to come to work every day, work hard and try to get back in the lineup.
“If that happens via trade and I play somewhere else, that’s just how the business goes.”
The Penguins aren’t willing to trade Sprong because they dislike him or his game, which has required ample effort to develop since they drafted him in the second round (46th overall) back in 2015.
More that they have nowhere to put the offensive-minded right wing.
The Penguins have been frustrated that their bottom-six has featured people playing out of position, and Sprong is Exhibit A. He’s been a scorer through the QMJHL and AHL and is not at all suited to play fourth-line minutes. Sprong has also not helped his own case.
Dating back to training camp, Sprong has been underwhelming from an offensive perspective. Whether it was playing alongside Sidney Crosby, failing to score in the preseason or earning his way up the lineup, Sprong hasn’t been able to make his presence felt.
The Penguins want their fourth line to create more momentum than it has been recently, and they were thrilled with the work turned in by Garrett Wilson, Matt Cullen and Zach Aston-Reese on Wednesday in Washington.
That leaves Sprong no higher than third on the depth chart at right wing behind Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist, and probably below Bryan Rust, too, should the Penguins decide to play Rust on his natural side. There’s also Dominik Simon, who has actually looked decent on a line with Crosby.
Sprong, who’s on a one-way contract, is trying to remain positive and focused on the task at hand. But he’s expected to be a healthy scratch Saturday against Arizona and knows he’s one phone call away from having to pack up his stuff and move.
“I’m just going to do my job,” Sprong said. “If that means I’m out of the lineup, that means working hard in practice, working hard in the weight room. If I do play, play my game. Do that and have to wait for my opportunity. If that happens via trade or playing in the lineup here, it’s out of your control.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: November 9, 2018, 6:51 p.m.
Updated: November 9, 2018, 6:54 p.m.