The Oilers’ season opener already exposed a problem, and the absence of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson only made it louder: this team still needs help down the middle.
Even with both players back in the picture, centre remains a weak spot. Nugent-Hopkins’ numbers away from Draisaitl and McDavid have not been strong, and if head coach Mike Babcock really wants Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the top line, the search for another centre becomes even more pressing.
That is where Shane Wright enters the conversation.
Sportsnet’s Elliott Freidman said on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast that the Oilers “poked around” on Wright, though he also said he doesn’t believe a deal will happen. From the Oilers’ side, it’s the kind of swing that makes sense.
They have already shown a willingness to bet on players who needed a reset. Vasily Podkolzin has turned into a top-six forward after a difficult start with the Vancouver Canucks, while Matthew Savoie put together a strong post-Olympic stretch and has put himself in position to be a fixture in Edmonton’s top six once he’s healthy again. Savoie went ninth overall, Podkolzin 10th, and both were later bloomers relative to where they were drafted.
Wright fits that same mold, and in some ways he offers even more upside. He went five picks ahead of Savoie, then followed with a solid rookie year in 2024-25, scoring 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games with the Seattle Kraken. Last season, the production dipped to 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games.
He is not a great faceoff option, but he does bring a strong two-way game and the kind of offensive ceiling that could land him in the 40-point range, with room for more. His five-on-five numbers also point in the right direction, with 55.56 percent of the goal share and 50.43 percent of the expected goal share.
And the fit is obvious. Wright would give Edmonton a second-line centre who can still grow into more, and he shoots right, which matters if the Oilers want McDavid and Draisaitl together on the first line.
Of course, none of that comes cheap.
Wright is only four years removed from being drafted fourth overall, he’s 22, and the pedigree still carries weight. He also has a league-minimum cap hit of $886,666 and restricted free agent rights. Even with the trade request he made through his agent Kurt Overhardt in search of a fresh start, the price tag would likely be steep.
A move probably starts with one of Savoie or Isaac Howard going the other way. Howard was on the fourth line in Tuesday’s season opener, so his future with the club may not be especially clear. Seattle would also likely ask for a pick or two because of Wright’s draft status.
If Edmonton did land him, the lineup picture gets cleaner. During the preseason, Podkolzin skated with McDavid and Draisaitl, which points to that being the top line in a healthy setup with Wright added in. Nugent-Hopkins worked as the second-line centre with Zach Hyman and Howard in preseason, so Wright would slide into that spot if Howard were moved out.
Dickinson would anchor the third line with Savoie on the left and Kasperi Kapanen on the right. The fourth line could cycle through Alex Formenton, Owen Michaels, Mathieu Joseph, Trent Frederic, Colton Dach, and Max Jones, with Frederic, Michaels, and Dach available as centres.
In a perfect world, that would be the version of the Oilers built around Wright.
Freidman may not think it happens, but the fit is there, and it is easy to see why Edmonton would at least kick the tires. Wright checks the box they need most: a right-shot centre who could help now and still has room to grow.
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The Oilers opened their 2026-27 season with a game that had plenty of everything except a tidy finish, falling 6-5 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks. Evan Bouchard and Vasily Podkolzin did the heavy lifting offensively, with Bouchard scoring three times and Podkolzin adding two of his own as Edmonton turned what looked like a lopsided night into a full-throttle comeback attempt.
Edmonton was staring at a 5-2 deficit late in the third period before dragging the game level and forcing extra time, which is exactly the kind of opener that leaves a fan base with equal parts frustration and intrigue. The defense generated rare headline-making offense, the rally showed real fight, and the overtime loss ensured there will be plenty for the Oilers to sort through before the next one. [Read more 🡒]
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Lewandowski is back in juniors for another season, which keeps the timeline a little longer but also gives the Oilers more runway to watch his development unfold. The expectation is that he will turn professional soon and start the next phase of his career in the American Hockey League, where the real test becomes whether his game can translate against older, stronger competition before he ever gets a crack at Edmonton. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Trade Search Is Suddenly Focused On A Crucial Center Need
The Oilers search for help has started to sharpen around one very specific need: a right-shot centre. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Edmonton has been exploring options with an eye toward adding younger, potentially undervalued players, a profile that fits the clubs broader effort to improve its roster without simply chasing the obvious names on the market.
What makes the hunt especially interesting is how thin the depth chart looks at that spot. Edmonton has only one right-shot centre under contract, Owen Michaels, who cracked the opening night roster, so the front office has real incentive to keep digging for a fit. Montreals Kirby Dach and former top prospect Shane Wright are among the names in the mix, which suggests the Oilers are looking for more than a stopgap as they try to solve a position that can shape the rest of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]