The Seattle Kraken open their season Tuesday night in Las Vegas. They will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights as they raise their championship banner. However, Seattle will play this game without 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright.

The Kraken sent Wright down to the American Hockey League, the team confirmed on Saturday. It's a small surprise considering that the 19-year-old had a rather strong training camp. But, at the end of the day, Seattle felt this was necessary for Wright's long-term development.

“We had a real clear, plain discussion in terms of the areas that we want to see him focus on and that the coaches and development staff will be focusing on with him in the American Hockey League,” coach Dave Hakstol said, via The Seattle Times.

Usually, teenagers like Wright are ineligible for the AHL. However, the Kraken received special permission to avoid sending him back to junior hockey. Yet, this is not Wright's first time in the NHL's top minor league. The Kraken utilized a loophole to allow the 19-year-old to play a few weeks for the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season.

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Wright played eight games in the NHL with Seattle last season. However, he struggled during those games. In fact, he scored just one goal while adding one assist during that span. He finished the season in the Ontario Hockey League. The 19-year-old scored 37 points in 20 games for the Windsor Spitfires following a trade from the Kingston Frontenacs.

Overall, Seattle is more than happy with what they saw from Wright during camp. It all came down to his role. Would a small, limited role in the NHL be more beneficial for the former fourth-overall pick than a larger AHL role? The Kraken ultimately decided the AHL was the better route to go.

“It’s good we have the ability to get him to Coachella Valley. He’ll go down there and play significant minutes and we felt that was the best for his development, Kraken general manager Ron Francis said, via The Seattle Times.