Kraken trade Shane Wright to Predators and it's a one for one swap

The Kraken have traded Shane Wright to the Predators for Matthew Wood, a swap of former first-round picks, on Sunday.

Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun have confirmed the deal. It lands a few hours after Friedman reported that the two clubs were working on a trade built around these two names, which we followed in our Kraken-Predators trade report earlier today.

Wright was picked 4th overall by Seattle in 2022. Wood went 15th overall to Nashville in 2023. Neither has settled into a permanent top-six role yet, and both teams have now decided a change of scene is worth more than waiting.

Wright is a 22-year-old center who has 3 goals and 1 assist through 14 games this season. Over his NHL career, he has 82 points in 183 games.

Wood is a 21-year-old, 6'4 right winger with 1 goal and 2 assists in 14 games this season. He played 13:00 in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Lightning and registered 1 shot on goal.

Here is the part I can't get past. Seattle moves a center with 82 career points in 183 games for a winger with 34 in 91. The Kraken had better have a clear plan for that vacancy up the middle, because on paper they gave up the more productive player.

Why Wright and Wood both face a restricted free agent deadline

The contracts add a layer. Wright carries a cap hit of $886,666 and Wood $950,000, and both entry-level deals run through 2026-27. Both are RFAs at expiry, and neither has signed an extension.

That makes this a seven-month audition for Nashville with Wright, and a reset for Seattle with Wood. Whichever team gets the better months out of its new player will look smart by spring.

Nashville sits at 5-4-5 through 14 games, with 42 goals for and 47 against. Andrew Brunette's group has been short on offense, and Wright gives the Predators a young center who has already played 183 NHL games. General manager Barry Trotz has just added to a middle that needed help.

Seattle is 8-5-1 and went 6-3-1 over its last 10, but it dropped a 6-2 decision at Calgary on Friday. Lane Lambert now has to rebuild his lineup around a trade that sent out a center. Jason Botterill has plenty to explain if Wood doesn't take the minutes Wright leaves behind.

The Kraken had already been linked to a bigger move, as David Pagnotta floated them as a fit for Simon Edvinsson with a Shane Wright element in that Edvinsson talk. Whether this trade closes that door or only opens another is still unclear.

The first look at the new look comes quickly. Nashville hosts Carolina on Tuesday, and Seattle faces Calgary again on Wednesday.

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Kraken and Predators working on a trade built around Shane Wright