The NHL trade rumor mill is heating up, and this time, it’s the Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken who might be circling each other as potential dance partners. At the center of the chatter? Shane Wright - the former fourth-overall pick whose name continues to surface in trade discussions as the league inches closer to the deadline.
According to recent reports, the Jets have shown interest in Wright, and early conversations may have included Cole Perfetti as a potential piece going the other way. While there’s no indication that a deal is close, the idea of these two teams linking up is compelling - especially when you consider their respective timelines and roster needs.
Let’s start with Wright. At 22 years old, he’s still very much in the developmental phase, but he’s shown flashes of the player many projected him to be in his draft year.
With seven goals and 11 assists through 51 games this season, Wright is looking for a consistent top-six role - something he hasn’t fully locked down in Seattle. Elliotte Friedman confirmed on 32 Thoughts that the Kraken are indeed open to exploring trade options for Wright, pushing back on the notion that this is just agent-driven noise.
“The Shane Wright stuff, that he’s available and out there - that’s real,” Friedman said. He even floated the New York Rangers as a possible landing spot, though he wasn’t convinced Artemi Panarin would be open to a move to Seattle. Still, it’s clear Wright’s name is circulating among front offices.
From Seattle’s perspective, the motivation is straightforward: they’re looking for a more established NHL contributor. That’s where someone like Perfetti comes into the picture.
The 22-year-old forward has shown solid offensive instincts and flashes of high-end vision since entering the league, but he’s hit a bit of a wall this season - just four goals in 37 games. That dip in production might make the Jets hesitant to move him without a significant return.
And that’s the crux of the conversation: upside versus certainty. Wright, despite his modest 69 points in 146 NHL games across four seasons, still carries the sheen of his draft pedigree.
He was once projected to go first overall in 2022 before sliding to fourth, and that kind of early hype doesn’t fade easily. Teams still see the potential.
They still see a player who could anchor a top-six role for years to come.
For Winnipeg, Wright could be a long-term solution down the middle - a position that’s always at a premium in today’s NHL. But moving Perfetti, especially when he’s still developing and under team control, is no small decision. It would likely take more than just Wright coming back to make that deal palatable for the Jets’ front office - or their fanbase.
On the flip side, Kraken fans aren’t eager to part with Wright unless the return is meaningful. Trading a young center with upside is never easy, especially when you’re still building out the core of a relatively new franchise.
So, would either team pull the trigger on a deal like this? That depends on how much risk each side is willing to take.
Winnipeg would be betting on Wright’s ceiling. Seattle would be banking on Perfetti finding another gear - and doing it soon.
This is the kind of trade framework that could evolve into something more significant, especially if both front offices believe they’re addressing long-term needs. But for now, it’s a chess match - one that could come down to who’s willing to make the first bold move.