(Editor’s Note: That formula for the future might unfold in Philadelphia. There is still a strong sense that Wright gets traded before the summer is over.)
You be the judge: was Seattle Kraken coach Lane Lambert using coach-speak to protect one of his young players? Or does he see something most others have missed?
The player in question is 22-year-old center Shane Wright. The cold, hard offensive statistics – 12 goals, 15 assists in 74 games – would indicate Wright regressed in 2025-26. The promise of more was stirred the previous season. Wright scored in three consecutive December, 2023 road games, finishing with 19 goals and 25 assists. Seven of those goals came on the power play.
But that was under coach Dan Bylsma, brought in to goose the Kraken’s anemic offense. Last year, he operated under Lambert’s more buttoned-up defensive systems. Despite reports of Wright’s unhappiness during the season, his coach has nothing but praise for how he adapted.
“Everybody’s going to look at Shane and go, ‘Gee, he had this many points and he had that many points last year.’ Ask Shane if he feels like he’s a better player now than he was at the beginning of the year. And the answer would be, yes, he does.
“Sometimes the points can fool you a little bit. I thought Shane got stronger defensively. I thought he got stronger on faceoffs and improved his 200-foot game. What I see about that, is that’s a better formula for the future with him than in the past part of the process with a young player.”
Did Kraken Do Right By Wright?
The Kraken have received criticism for their handling of Wright, ever since he was their 1st round draft pick, 4th overall, in 2022. That criticism is largely unfounded, because of circumstances largely out of Seattle’s control. The pandemic cost Wright a year of play in junior hockey, and rules didn’t allow Wright to play a full season in the AHL as a 19-year-old.
During the 2022-23 season, as has been well documented, Wright split time among OHL Windsor (20 games); Canada’s World Juniors team (7 games); NHL Seattle (8 games); and a rehab assignment at AHL Coachella Valley (8 games). He also played in 24 playoff games for the Firebirds.
That would send anyone’s head spinning.
A more reasonable criticism is saddling a young pro with three coaching styles in the past three years. Especially when Wright had to yo-yo among the defense-first philosophies of Dave Hakstol and Lambert, with the more wide-open style of Bylsma sandwiched in the middle. That’s caused a wide variance in Wright’s usage.
Kraken Coach Believes Wright Will ‘Put It Back Together’
That was then, and this is now, says the current Kraken coach. “Now we try to really focus on the defensive side. They (young players) lose that offensive side a little bit and then they have to kind of put it back together.
“That’s what we talk about with the team-first mentality. You know, we’re going to win as a team and lose as a team and everybody’s going to play the game the right way.”
No exceptions for offensively-skilled prodigies.
“Our structure is going to be our structure. And in doing that, there’s certain sacrifices that have to be made at times. But they’re for the greater good. With Shane, I’m very impressed with how he bought into that. it’s going to be excellent for his future.”
It’s easy to forget what made Wright such a prized catch back in ’22. “Wright immediately made an impact for the (Kingston) Frontenacs,” CHL.ca reminds us. “Leading the team in scoring at just 15 years old, Wright scored 39 times and adding 27 assists in 58 games. Wright’s rookie season was highly decorated, winning the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year awards.
“Wright was a 17-year-old entering his draft year. Now the captain of the Frontenacs, the fifth exceptional status player in OHL history. In 63 games, Wright scored 94 points and added another 14 in 11 playoff games. Wright turned his attention to the NHL Draft after receiving the CHL Top Draft Prospect award.”
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