Shane Wright’s exit from Seattle is now a matter of when and where, not if. Agent Kurt Overhardt says Kraken general manager Jason Botterill has agreed to move Wright this summer to “a team in need of a top young center,” per Pro Hockey Rumors — though no trade had been completed as of Tuesday.
An agent saying that on the record is the noteworthy part. Camps rarely confirm a team has agreed to a trade search unless the relationship has run its course, and Wright’s usage tells that story: after a promising 44-point debut season in 2024-25, he slipped to 27 points under new coach Lane Lambert while skating mostly checking-line minutes. The fourth overall pick from 2022 turned 22 without ever getting a sustained top-six audition in Seattle.
The Kraken hold the leverage, and per Pro Hockey Rumors they know it — the front office wants what it considers a fair price and has indicated it will not be pressured into moving him for less. Wright is entering the final year of his entry-level contract at a $886,666 cap hit and will be a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights, meaning an acquiring team controls the outcome either way. Cheap, young, pedigreed centers do not hit the market often, which is why Daily Faceoff’s list of plausible fits already runs through Calgary, Chicago and New Jersey.
The open question is whether Seattle’s asking price meets the market’s read on a 27-point season. Somebody’s development staff is about to bet it can find the 44-point version again.
