The Seattle Kraken have finally traded young center Shane Wright, who has wanted a trade away from Seattle for a while now.
Wright requested a trade this summer away from Seattle, the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but nothing materialized during the summer.
Finally, the team has given him his wish and traded him away.
Shane Wright Traded to Nashville Predators
Per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Kraken and Nashville Predators are making a swap, sending Wright to Nashville for Matthew Wood.
“Hearing Seattle and Nashville working on something that will involve Shane Wright and Matthew Wood,” Friedman wrote on his X on Sunday afternoon.
Per Darren Dreger, the trade is done, and it’s a 1-for-1 deal.
Shane Wright Hasn’t Panned Out in Seattle
When the Kraken used the fourth-overall pick in 2022 on Wright, the hope was that he would become a franchise No. 1 type of center for Seattle, but he hasn’t panned out as the team has hoped so far.
In his NHL career, Wright has just 39 goals and 82 points in 182 regular-season games played. He has yet to play in the postseason in his Seattle career, either.
Last year, Wright had a down season with just 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games played, and he requested a trade after the season.
As for this season, Wright is once again off to a brutal start with just 3 goals and 4 points in 14 games, as it’s clear that the relationship between the team and player needs to be severed, as Wright just isn’t playing up to his or the club’s expectations.
Wood, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, has played in 91 regular-season games for Nashville with 18 goals and 34 points. He, too, has struggled this season with just 1 goal and 4 points in 14 games, so he is a good candidate for a change of scenery, making him a shrewd trade target for Seattle.
Overall, this looks like a fair trade between two players who were struggling this season, and both their new teams hope they will bounce back this season in their new jerseys.
Shane Wright Finally Traded by Kraken