A new suitor has entered the Shane Wright conversation. Days after Postmedia reported that Wright’s preferred destination is Vancouver, Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic listed the Seattle Kraken center among the young forwards the New York Rangers could target in a trade this offseason, in a piece relayed by Spector’s Hockey on Saturday.
Mercogliano grouped Wright with Columbus’s Kent Johnson and Calgary’s Connor Zary as younger options for a Rangers roster still shopping for forward help, and reported that New York has already poked around the free-agent market, checking in on Anthony Mantha before he signed in New Jersey. The logic is straightforward from the Rangers’ side: Wright is 22, carries an entry-level cap hit for one more season, and profiles as the kind of center New York cannot otherwise acquire at that price.
From Seattle’s side, this is the first reported Eastern Conference interest since agent Kurt Overhardt confirmed the Kraken agreed to work on a trade. To date the reporting has centered on Vancouver, where talks stalled after Seattle asked for Zeev Buium or Tom Willander and the Canucks declined. A second credible bidder is exactly what GM Jason Botterill needs. Seattle’s ask has not moved in two weeks, and Wright’s stated preference for Vancouver only weakens the Kraken’s hand if the Canucks are the lone team at the table. Even lukewarm interest from New York gives Botterill something to point to when Vancouver calls back.
None of this guarantees a resolution soon. Wright’s 2024-25 season — 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games — still reads as the foundation of a useful NHL center, and his down year last season is the reason the two sides are here. The price of patience is low for Seattle in July. It gets higher once camps open with an unhappy player still on the roster.
For fantasy purposes, Wright remains a hold in dynasty formats until the destination is known. A trade to the Rangers would likely slot him behind established centers with a shot at second-line minutes, while Vancouver offers a clearer path to top-six usage on a rebuilding depth chart. His redraft value is negligible until deployment settles.
