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<\/p>\nIn a year that was expected to be a major step forward for Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright, the 22-year-old took a noticeable step back, at least statistically.<\/p>\n
Once touted as one of the next faces of hockey during his junior days in the Ontario Hockey League, Wright\u2019s name came up throughout this season in trade rumors, while he\u2019s seen reduced responsibilities and has been stuck in bottom-six roles.<\/p>\n
Given it was his second full season, you could chalk it up to a sophomore slump. But there are underlying concerns with his contributions.<\/p>\n
Correlation isn\u2019t always causation, but with the Kraken missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, there is speculation that a change of scenery could happen as soon as this offseason.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s take a look at Wright\u2019s tenure in Seattle so far and consider whether Wright is a player the Kraken should keep.<\/p>\n
Development and early returns<\/p>\n
It was consensus for months that Wright would be the No. 1 pick to Montreal in the 2022 NHL Draft. He himself, in interviews, believed he \u201cdeserved to be taken first overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
But then, one thing led to another, and Montreal came to the podium and selected\u2026 Juraj Slafkovsky. Whoa.<\/p>\n
No one could have guessed Wright would be available at all, let alone at No. 4. Seattle took him, and quickly had to come up with a plan for such a highly touted prospect.<\/p>\n
Ineligible for the American Hockey League because of his age, Wright tried to quickly make the jump to the NHL but looked out of place initially and only got eight games in each of 2022-23 and 2023-24. And for as ceremonious as his entrance into the NHL was, his early career since has lacked the same luster.<\/p>\n
The first few years in the organization were adventurous to say the least. In that 2022-23 season, he split time between the Kraken, a conditioning stint in Coachella Valley, Team Canada at the World Juniors, and eventually joined the OHL\u2019s Windsor Spitfires.<\/p>\n
In 2023\u201324, he joined the\u00a0Firebirds\u00a0full time, beginning to adjust to the pro level before brief call-ups to Seattle. By 2024\u201325, Wright became a regular in the Kraken lineup. His first full season is when he began to show glimpses of the player he could be.<\/p>\n
With 19 goals and 25 assists in 78 games, he spent most of the season centering knowledgeable and consistent veterans. For the majority of the season, he was with Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had 16 goals in 61 games in 2024-25 before being traded, as well as Eeli Tolvanen who had 23 goals.<\/p>\n
This past season, Wright\u2019s totals dipped to 12 goals and 15 assists in 74 games. The team around him didn\u2019t do him as many favors. Ranking 28th in team goals for, Wright spent a good chunk of the year on a youthful line with Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko, who each had their share of inconsistencies.<\/p>\n
Wright\u2019s utilization<\/p>\n
Taking a closer look at Wright\u2019s offensive production, he was more focused on attacking near the front of the net this season compared with 2024-25, when his production was more sprawled out in the zone and unpredictable.<\/p>\n
While his shot production and offensive heat maps remained largely similar to his output in 2024-25, his shooting percentage dropped from 20.9 percent to 12.4 percent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In 2024-25, he was a little more sporadic with his shot attempts. He had five goals from beyond the hash marks and spread his production throughout the offensive zone. To his credit, although he didn\u2019t score as much, Wright was focused on getting to the high-danger areas of the ice this season.<\/p>\n
The situations Wright was utilized in shifted. He was used 4.5 percent more<\/a> in the offensive zone by the Kraken this year compared to 2024-25. He wasn\u2019t relied upon as much in the defensive zone, taking 107, or 5.2 percent, fewer defensive-zone draws.<\/p>\n Despite the lessened role in defensive situations, Kraken head coach Lane Lambert still has hope for Wright and his future, whether it be for Seattle or elsewhere. He liked the improvements that he\u2019s shown throughout the year as a 200-foot player, even if the offensive results haven\u2019t been there.<\/p>\n Lane Lambert had some interesting things to say about Shane Wright. \u201cEverybody’s going to look at Shane Wright\u2019s season and go, \u2018Oh, gee, he had this many points, and he had that many points last year.\u2019 Ask Shane if he felt like he’s a better player now than he was at the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/j2zXYLEQ5X<\/a><\/p>\n