The Nashville Predators didn't ease Shane Wright into their lineup after acquiring him from the Seattle Kraken. You could almost argue that his opportunity to play with Filip Forsberg and Nils Hoglander was the best he'd had since being drafted, and the 22-year-old made the most of it. In a 4-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, Wright and his linemates outscored the opposition 2-0 and had plenty of other chances, owning a 65% xGF.
The Predators acquired the two-way center for plenty of reasons, but Chris MacFarland made a point of talking about his pace in the post-trade statement, which raised some eyebrows given that Matthew Wood wasn't what you would call a burner. His speed was evident on Tuesday night, and head coach Andrew Brunette pointed it out again post-game, according to Brooks Bratten via X.
""I really liked the pace he played at. Kind of a little bit what I was expecting. I thought their line was good, him and Fil. I thought Fil at different times was at another level tonight, which is fun to see. And I thought Shane fit in really well. I thought the way he got on pucks and the way he skated a few of those times where he took off was good to see.""Andrew Brunette
No one benefited more from the acquisition than Forsberg, who had one of his best games of the season with the younger center next to him. He had a noticeable jump in his game all night, whether it was the motivation of playing against the champs or feeding off Wright's excitement. Still, if those two can connect moving forward to solidify the second line, the Predators could be better than projected.
It raises an interesting dilemma for MacFarland, who has said he wouldn't explore selling any parts at the deadline if the team was in contention for the playoffs. After seeing the early returns on the Wright trade, the lean might be to continue making those kinds of deals to mold the team in MacFarland's vision. However, if Wright can help them win now, they'll have to strike a balance and potentially pass on any assets they could acquire by selling.
Of course, it is only one game, and Wright's biggest problem in Seattle was consistency. The center could be in the middle of the third line by next week because of a couple of bad games, and we'll be having an entirely different conversation. But let's not forget he was once a consensus No. 1 pick before he dropped a few spots late, and players with that kind of talent don't often lose it, except for a couple of rare cases.
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