Shane Wright’s name is back in the trade conversation, and this time the Vancouver Canucks are the team drawing the most attention.
A few weeks after the Seattle Kraken center asked for a trade, nothing has actually come together yet. But according to Ben Kuzma of The Province, Wright would prefer a move to Vancouver, and there is mutual interest from the Canucks’ northern rival.
The fit makes some sense on Vancouver’s side. The Canucks have been stuck in a rough stretch since putting up 73 goals and 191 points in 162 games from 2022 to 2024, and there’s real uncertainty around what they’ll get from top-line center Elias Pettersson next season.
Filip Chytil has also been plagued by concussions as he moves into what should be the prime of his career. Aatu Räty has become one of the NHL’s best faceoff men and turned in a strong IIHF World Championships for Team Finland, but he still hasn’t shown top-six scoring upside at the NHL level.
Wright, for his part, is hardly coming off a banner year himself. The former fourth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft produced 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games for Seattle last season while averaging 13:48 of ice time per night. He also struggled badly in the faceoff circle, winning just 39.7% of his draws, even though 71.3% of his shifts started in the offensive zone.
Even so, he remains a player with plenty of runway left. Not long ago, Wright was viewed as the projected first overall pick in that 2022 draft, and while the Montreal Canadiens have long since moved past that debate, he still believes there’s another level in his game. At 22, he fits the timeline Vancouver is operating on and looks like the kind of reclamation swing the club should be chasing.
There are signs of what Wright can be when things are moving in the right direction. Before last season’s dip, the Burlington, ON native put up 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games for Seattle, logging 14:04 per game. That wasn’t enough to pace the Kraken in scoring, but he still finished one point ahead of Matty Beniers in three fewer games.
Kuzma also floated a possible framework for a deal, suggesting Vancouver could include one of its own unhappy forwards. Jake DeBrusk, who still wants out of the Canucks organization unless something changes, would give Seattle the top-six scoring help it has been searching for. Kuzma added that Vancouver would probably need to attach a second- or third-round pick to get the deal done, but DeBrusk would be a logical place to start.