The Seattle Kraken are making a playoff push in their first year under head coach Lane Lambert. But there are still trade rumors around one of their young pieces. The Kraken are looking to trade Shane Wright before the NHL trade deadline, so which teams should call on the 22-year-old center?
Centers are hard to come by in the trade market, but Wright has not been a great fit for the Kraken. With 20 points in 54 games this season, Wright has not been a huge reason for the team's success, but could benefit from a change of scenery. But this is not a traditional sell for the Kraken, as they reportedly want a high-end scorer in return.
Which teams are the perfect fit for Wright and the Kraken at the NHL trade deadline?
The Rangers fit makes a ton of sense
The New York Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference and barrelling toward another retool. That will start with a trade of Artemi Panarin before the trade deadline. He has a no-movement clause and wants to sign an extension wherever he goes. If the Kraken are a team he wants to go to, this could be the perfect fit.
The Rangers would trade Panarin to the Kraken for Wright, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick. Reports have surfaced that New York is looking for a Brock Nelson-type return for Panarin. Nelson netted the Islanders prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-rounder, and a fourth-rounder. Wright is older than Ritchie, but this is the same package Chris Drury is looking for.
The biggest hurdle here is Panarin's desire to play for the Kraken. If he does not want to go to the team with little to no history of success, no one could blame him. But the Kraken could be building something that Panarin wants to be a part of.
Could Shane Wright be a Toronto Maple Leaf?
This has been a disastrous season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they are likely out of the race ahead of the trade deadline. That will have them shopping veterans, which the Kraken are looking for. Last year, the Leafs traded a first-round pick and prospect Fraser Minten to the Boston Bruins for Brandon Carlo. They have to reload their prospect pipeline, which Wright allows them to do.
The problem is that the Maple Leafs have been brutal on offense this season, so they don't have scorers to shop. If the Kraken and Maple Leafs have shared interest in a Shane Wright trade, it may make more sense to make the deal for Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Seattle's defense could use a boost, and Ekman-Larsson provides that.
If the Kraken are dead-set on a scorer, Max Domi may be the best option. Domi is known as a pest more than a scorer, but he has been solid offensively this year. This could be a solid fit, even if that is a low return to get for Wright.
The Predators have a new front office. Will that matter?
Barry Trotz shocked the NHL world on Monday by stepping down from his post as the Predators' general manager. He was the first head coach in Nashville history, left to win a Stanley Cup in Washington, stopped on Long Island, and came back to be the second general manager in franchise history. The Predators will now have a new front office, which could impact this trade.
But the Predators have veterans on big-money contracts that are not working with the team right now. If Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault were willing to waive their clauses, this swap could be the best one outside of Panarin. Wright would start a new prospect pipeline in Nashville, while one of those veterans can score in the playoffs for Seattle.
The Kraken signed Chandler Stephenson in free agency after a run with the Vegas Golden Knights. Marchessault was with Stephenson in Vegas, and neither has been great since leaving. A reunion between the Stanley Cup Champions in the Pacific Northwest could help both parties, especially the Kraken.
If this is the end of Shane Wright's run with the Kraken, they are going to try to get a veteran scorer for him. That will be a hard trade to pull off mid-season, but these are three landing spots that make it possible.
