Predators Acquire Former Fourth Overall Pick, Send Wood to Seattle

The Nashville Predators have made a big splash, as they have acquired center Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken in a one-for-one trade that sent forward Matthew Wood the other way. 

Wright, 22, was widely projected to the be the first overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft at one point, before his stock dropped and he fell to the Kraken who selected him with the fourth overall pick. 

Touted for his two-way ability, Wright has the potential to become a second-line center if he develops properly but at this stage, it feels like the ship has sailed for him to be an elite player at the NHL level. Instead, the Predators will likely see him top out between 40-50 points per season while also being responsible in his own end. 

Elite Prospects even compared Wright to legendary center Patrice Bergeron in his draft year, stating in their 2022 Draft Guide: "There may not be an Art Ross in his future, but the Frank J. Selke seems well within reach. We don’t make the Patrice Bergeron comparison lightly, after all." Four years later, it seems like a stretch to see him achieve that level of play, but that doesn't mean he can't be effective moving forward. 

Wright was unable to carve a long-term role out for himself in Seattle, but he does already have a career-high of 44 points at the NHL level. Although, that was in his rookie season and things have trended in the wrong direction since then. 

“We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards,” Predators GM Chris MacFarland said in the team's press release. “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.”

This season, Wright has three goals and one assist in 14 games with Seattle.