The next time Shane Wright plays at Climate Pledge Arena will be Saturday, Dec. 12. He’ll be wearing a Nashville Predators jersey.
The Seattle Kraken on Sunday accommodated Wright’s trade request, first made last season. The 2022 4th overall pick was dealt to the Predators for 21-year-old forward Matthew Wood.
“Matthew is a young forward who adds size and an elite shot to our group,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “He’s a skilled player, with high hockey sense, who demonstrated his offensive potential last season as a rookie.”
The 6-foot-4, 202-pound Wood was selected in the 1st round, 15th overall, by Nashville in 2023. In 91 career NHL games, the British Columbia native has scored 18 goals and 34 points. He was born in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, five hours by ferry and car from Seattle.
Deal Puts End To Trade Drama
This summer, Wright’s agents went public with their trade request, which the team said they would fulfill if the right deal came along.
Asked about that at training camp, Wright said, “I’m focused on the present. I don’t want to let anything distract me. I’m focused on being a good teammate, working hard, putting the effort in.”
The trade removes a tough decision facing Seattle’s front office. Wright’s entry-level contract expires at the end of the season, at which time he would become a restricted free agent. (Wood will also be a restricted free agent if not signed to an extension.)
Botterill in his statement gave Wright the boilerplate farewell. “We thank Shane for his contributions to our organization and the city of Seattle, and we wish him all the best in Nashville.” Wright will make his Predators debut Tuesday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes.
In his own statement, Nashville GM Chris MacFarland said, “We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards. We feel he will bring a strong, two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him.”
Each of these two former 1st round picks off to a slow start this season could benefit from the change of scenery. All of the same boxes are checked,” said Bleacher Report. “Talented player. Inconsistent results and still largely unproven. You want to see them pan out for you and not somebody else. Eventually everybody needs a change of scenery, but the trade value is tough.”
Kraken Once Considered Wright A Draft Steal
The center/winger once considered a Seattle franchise cornerstone finishes an underwhelming Kraken career having played 183 games, scoring 39 goals and 84 points. Hopes were raised when Wright scored 19 goals in 2024-25, but he dropped to 12 goals last year.
This season, he had early-season chemistry on Berkly Catton’s wing, scoring twice with an assist in his first four games. However, the 22-year-old from Burlington, Ontario only found the net once more in his last 10, his only point in that stretch.
His entire Kraken journey was similarly bumpy, starting even before he was drafted. As a junior, he lost a year to the pandemic. Wright was widely considered the top player available in 2022, but fell to 4th, where then-general manager Ron Francis was ecstatic that the prolific scorer had fallen into his lap.
Wright’s next hurdle was that rules at the time prohibited him from being assigned full-time to the AHL for seasoning. In 2022-23, he was traded to a different junior team, captained Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, and appeared in eight regular season and 24 playoff games for the Kraken farm team in Coachella Valley.
He also played his first eight NHL games for Seattle, including a memorable first goal. Memorable, because it came against Montreal, the team which held the 1st overall pick in 2022 but didn’t select him – leading some to suspect he had scowled at the Canadiens’ draft table.
Wright played another eight games in Seattle in 2023-24, but spent the majority of the season with the Firebirds, where he scored 22 goals. He became a full-time Kraken in 2024-25, but was shifted to wing to lower his responsibilities and make room for Catton in the middle this year.
Impact Of Kraken Coaching Carousel
More upheaval for Wright was Seattle changing coaches in three consecutive seasons. Wright expressed displeasure over his deployment and ice time last year under new coach Lane Lambert.
For his part, the coach had praised Wright’s improved 200-foot game. “Shane’s got a pretty good mentality now playing on the wing. We need him to use his shot.
“Getting the coach’s trust without the puck is important. The game is played most of the time without the puck. So, being in the right positions and doing the right things from that standpoint is something that every young player should understand.”
Wright analyzed his move from center to wing. “I’m not as much the guy carrying the puck. Centerman’s the guy carrying the puck on rush chances. A little different in the D-zone, my responsibilities and what I need to do there, and then making more wall plays in the D-Zone, neutral zone as well.
“Sometimes I’m going to be the low center, sometimes Cats (Catton) or Wints (Ryan Winterton) will be the low guy, so a little bit of adjustment.”
Not as much of an adjustment as moving to Music City.
Earlier Kraken:
— Simmer’s Sunday 9; Kraken, Canucks, USA Hockey, IIHF, Trade Talk
