5 Landing Spots for Shane Wright Amid NHL Rumors
On July 5, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that player agent Kurt Overhardt, who represents Shane Wright, said that Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill had agreed to move his client "to a team in need of a top young center."
Friedman noted that the Kraken wants what they consider a fair price for Wright. He indicated that they won't be pressured into anything they don't want to do.
Wright, 22, was selected fourth overall by the Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft. After spending two seasons bouncing between the Kraken, their AHL affiliate in Coachella, and the OHL's Windsor Spitfires, he had a promising 44-point debut performance in 2024-25.
However, the Kraken changed coaches last year. Under new bench boss Lane Lambert, Wright's production slipped to 27 points as he saw mostly checking-line duty. Friedman claimed the young center's name was mentioned as part of the Kraken's failed attempt to acquire Artemi Panarin last season.
Wright is in the final season of his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $886, 666. He'll be a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights. Depending on the Kraken's asking price, he could be an option for cap-strapped clubs willing to take on an affordable reclamation project.
It appears Botterill and Overhardt will work together to try to find Wright a new NHL home. Given his youth and potential, he should draw interest from rebuilding teams in need of immediate help at center, or clubs seeking an eventual replacement for an aging center.
Here's a look at five teams that could be suitable landing spots for Shane Wright as he attempts to get his NHL career back on track and what kind of return he could fetch from each club.
Boston Bruins
1 of 5
For the past two seasons, the Boston Bruins have had an issue with the calibre of depth among their centers. Shane Wright could potentially help them address that issue for the long term.
They brought in Elias Lindholm as a free agent two years ago to be their first-line center, but his best days were with the Calgary Flames from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Meanwhile, Pavel Zacha had a career-best 65 points last season, but he could depart as a free agent next summer.
Fraser Minten, 22, showed potential to become a second-line center with a 35-point rookie performance last season. James Hagens could become a top-six center one day, but it's possible he'd be more effective as a winger.
Wright's youth and potential as a two-way center could make him a good fit on their second line, allowing Minten more time to develop his game. They could also try him on their first line to see if he'll have any chemistry with wingers David Pastrnak and the recently acquired JJ Peterka.
As for a return, the Bruins are reportedly willing to move puck-moving defenseman Mason Lohrei if they want a promising NHL player in return. He could be included with a draft pick or prospect.
Carolina Hurricanes
2 of 5
On June 24, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that multiple teams confirmed the Carolina Hurricanes were shopping promising defenseman Alexander Nikishin. He noted the 24-year-old is a restricted free agent, so they were weighing trade interest versus a contract extension.
Fast forward to July 6, and Julian Gaudio of The Hockey News cited Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who claimed teams that were interested in Nikishin would also have to take on center Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the deal.
This could present the Kraken with a chance to add two NHL-ready players if they were to offer up Shane Wright in return.
Kotkaniemi, 26, is signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value of $4.82 million. The Hurricanes envisioned him becoming a second-line center, but it hasn't worked out as planned. Like Wright, he might benefit from a change of scenery and a different system.
The Kraken have $18.4 million in cap space, so they have plenty of room to add Kotkaniemi and sign Nikishin to a long-term deal. As for the Hurricanes, they'd get an affordable, promising young center who could eventually take over the third-line center role or challenge for the second-line spot.
Montréal Canadiens
3 of 5
Leading up to the 2022 NHL Draft, the Montréal Canadiens were expected to select Shane Wright with the first overall pick. Instead, they chose Juraj Slafkovský while Wright went fourth overall with the Kraken.
Four years later, Nick Lariviere of The Sick Podcast suggested Wright as a cost-effective option to address the Canadiens' need for a second-line center. He believes skating alongside budding superstar winger Ivan Demidov could unlock the offense that's been missing from Wright's game.
The Canadiens have reportedly pursued wingers Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kirill Marchenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It suggests they're not enamoured with the centers currently available in the trade market, and instead seek established young NHL scoring wingers for their second line.
Nevertheless, the Canadiens could change their minds if their pursuit of those wingers proves fruitless, perhaps enough to consider circling back on Wright after passing him over four years ago. At best, he'll click with Demidov. At worst, Lariviere suggests he'll be a placeholder until prospect Michael Hage is ready.
Lariviere argues that Wright has more potential than Oliver Kapanen, whom he suggested the Canadiens offer up to the Kraken as part of a trade package. He also proposed adding a prospect such as defenseman Adam Engstrom or a second-round pick.
Philadelphia Flyers
4 of 5
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere swung for the fences earlier this month by signing Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. However, the Ducks matched the offer on July 9, leaving Briere still seeking depth at center for his rebuilding team.
On June 24, Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period claimed the Flyers were among the clubs poking around on Wright. He lacks the superstar potential that Carlsson would've brought to the Flyers. However, his two-way skills and potential could make him a good fit in Philadelphia.
The Flyers took a chance on centers Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras last year, signing the former as a free agent and acquiring the latter in a trade with the Ducks. Those moves worked out well, as the two forwards helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Given a similar chance, Wright might become a better option to fill their second-line center role than Zegras, who seems better suited to the wing. He could improve to the point where he'd be good enough to take over the first-line role.
The Flyers have a surplus of wingers to use as trade bait. Owen Tippett, 27, frequently surfaced in the rumor mill last season and could draw interest from the Kraken, who are looking for more scoring, provided they're not on his 10-team no-trade list.
Vancouver Canucks
5 of 5
After bottoming out last season, the Vancouver Canucks have nowhere to go but up. They're now rebuilding under new management, who has shaken up their coaching staff and could do the same with their roster this season.
Perhaps the two Pacific Northwest teams could become trade partners. The Kraken are looking for a scoring star, so perhaps they might be willing to take a chance on Elias Pettersson regaining his 100-point form with a fresh start in Seattle.
Assuming Pettersson would waive his no-movement clause to make that move, the Kraken have the cap space to take on his $11.6 million average annual value through 2031-32, but they would probably want the Canucks to retain part of it. Wright could be part of the trade package heading to Vancouver.
With Pettersson gone, Wright would have the chance to see a larger role in Vancouver than what he was getting in Seattle. He and Marco Rossi would be jockeying for the first-line center position, but even playing the second-line role would give Wright more responsibilities on the power play and penalty kill.
Trading away Pettersson for Wright would leave the Canucks roughly $1.4 million below the $76.9 million salary cap minimum for 2026-27. However, it wouldn't be difficult to fill that gap with a free-agent signing or another trade.
Line combinations, salary cap, and contract info via PuckPedia.
.png?w=3840 "Latest Free-Agency Moves ✍️")
