Wright, Wood trade a good change of scenery for both players
The NHL is feeling unusually trade-crazy these days. We’re still in the aftermath of the blockbuster Connor Hellebuyck deal between the Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils, and reeling from the news of superstar winger Nikita Kucherov requesting a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then there’s the situation with Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who has opted to sit out until he gets the trade he wants.
All these big names circling the trade market can make a deal like Sunday’s, which saw the Seattle Kraken send center Shane Wright to the Nashville Predators in exchange for winger Matthew Wood, fly under the radar. But the deal is intriguing in its own right, as Wright and Wood are former first-round picks who have yet to hit their stride in the NHL. Wright is especially noteworthy as a top-five pick, who at one point had first-overall buzz, from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton were joined by Daily Faceoff‘s Matt Larkin and Steven Ellis to discuss their thoughts on the swap of Wright for Wood.
Tyler Yaremchuk: We’re four years removed from Shane Wright’s draft year, and it’s over for him in Seattle. What did you make of the news that they’ve officially cut bait, and what did you make of the return that the Kraken got with Matthew Wood?
Steven Ellis: I think both players really needed a change of scenery. When you look at Shane Wright, the pressure he went through to perform in Seattle after the snub of the first-overall pick where most people thought he would go to Montreal, he just needed to be somewhere else where he can start fresh. You look at Seattle, it’s not a very deep team. He didn’t have a ton of skilled players to play with, and maybe we didn’t get to see him at his full potential. He did have 44 points two years ago, but then last year he fell to under 30, and this year it’s even further of a fall. We’ve seen him play anywhere from the first line to the fourth line this year. He’s been primarily playing wing, which is interesting, because I feel like he could be Nashville’s number-two center if things work out here.
He’s got an opportunity where he could go out there with Filip Forsberg, which would be the best linemate he’s basically ever had in his NHL career. When you watch what he was doing in Seattle and playing with Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko, it wasn’t the deepest line. I do like Berkly Catton, but I don’t think that’s a guy that’s going to push the needle so much in his sophomore NHL season. But then you look at the idea of Forsberg, Nils Hoglander’s been good this year, that would be a really good second line. If it’s not them, could we see him get an opportunity with Steven Stamkos? There’s some better opportunities here for him to really showcase how good of a player he is.
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Monday’s episode here…