The New York Rangers have been searching for help down the middle, and the need became even more obvious when Joe Veleno, the No. 4 center on the NHL roster, was sidelined with an injury. For a stretch, New York essentially went without a true fourth center before turning to 37-year-old Luke Glendening in free agency.
Glendening fits the role the Rangers were after, but his addition also underscored just how thin the organization is at center. That made Shane Wright a logical name to watch. The Rangers were linked to the Seattle Kraken forward at different points over the summer and into the regular season, but that path is now off the table.
Wright is on the move, just not to New York. Seattle traded the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators for forward Matthew Wood, the No. 15 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
“We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards,” Nashville general manager Chris MacFarland said, via NHL Media on NHL.com. “We feel he will bring a strong, two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him.”
The 22-year-old has not fully matched the expectations attached to being selected fourth overall, but there’s still plenty to like in his game. In 183 NHL games, Wright has put up 82 points with 29 goals and 43 assists. For a team like the Rangers, that kind of profile made him an appealing buy-low option.
His draft status and age suggest there’s still room for more. Seattle was willing to move on, but the upside remains obvious, especially with the two-way ability he brings.
There are signs of growth, too. Wright has won 50% of his faceoffs this season, a clear step up from his 43% career mark. He’s also been getting to dangerous areas more often, with 13 high-danger attempts, which puts him in the 88th percentile.
The finishing touch still needs work, and that’s where the goals and overall production could climb. Even so, both lines he skated on for at least 10 minutes with the Kraken posted expected Goal Percentages above 50%, showing those minutes were tilted in the right direction.
That’s the kind of player New York could have used. But the price to get him would have meant giving up someone like Gabe Perreault, and the Rangers simply aren’t in a spot to do that.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Made A Tough Bottom Six Bet On Youth
The Rangers kept tinkering with their bottom six at practice, and the latest adjustment put Will Cuylle in the middle of the third line. To create room, the club sent veteran winger Taylor Raddysh back to the Hartford Wolf Pack and brought up Jaroslav Chmela, a move that signals the staff is still searching for the right mix of size, speed and reliability deeper in the lineup.
Chmelas path back has been a little uneven, with a slow start to the season giving way to better play in the AHL before this recall. For the Rangers, the bet is clear enough: if the third line is going to settle in, it may have to do so with youth taking on a bigger role, even as the team keeps sorting through who belongs where on the wings. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Shake Up Their Lineup Again Searching For A Spark
The Rangers kept tinkering with their lineup on the eve of their game against the St. Louis Blues, recalling Jaroslav Chmelar from Hartford and sending Taylor Raddysh back to the AHL. It was the latest roster adjustment in a stretch of changes that has included several line combinations in practice as the club looks for a better rhythm after recent losses and injuries.
One of the more interesting looks came on the fourth line, where Noah Laba appeared to be in line for center duties with Chmelar and Matt Rempe on the wings. For a team still searching for a spark, the bottom six has become a moving target, and the Rangers now have another chance to see whether a different mix can bring a little more energy and stability. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Season Already Hinges On A Problem This Roster Must Solve
The Rangers were already trying to steady themselves after a rocky start, and the loss of Igor Shesterkin only made the challenge more urgent. With the club dealing with defensive issues and uneven play in front of him, the goaltending picture shifted quickly, forcing the rest of the roster to adjust on the fly as the losses piled up and the playoff outlook grew less certain.
Dylan Garand has been handed the crease in the meantime, giving the Rangers a new variable to manage while they search for answers elsewhere in the lineup. His first start offered a needed lift, but the larger question remains whether New York can tighten up enough defensively to keep this stretch from turning into something much harder to recover from. [Read more 🡒]