Shane Wright wasted no time joining his new Nashville Predators after the one-for-one trade with the Seattle Kraken. While Matthew Wood will be missed in the Preds' locker room, Nashville couldn't pass up the chance to help Wright reach his full potential. Wright was a consensus first-overall pick right up until the 2022 draft, and if it weren't for a late surge by Juraj Slafkovsky that turned the first few picks into chaos, he'd likely be a Montreal Canadien right now.
The beauty of acquiring Wright is that there is still plenty of time to find his true ceiling in the NHL. It feels like he has been around forever, but the two-way center is still only 22. Some great players didn't start until their age 22 season or later, so the Predators should approach this with a fresh slate. It seems like Wright is bringing the same mindset, according to Brooks Bratten via X.
""I think just growing with the team. Obviously, I'm still young, so I want to hopefully be here for a number of years, build something special here and be part of a winning culture and a winning group, and hopefully - obviously, the goal is winning Stanley Cups. That's a goal for me, for sure.""Shane Wright
Wright is in the final year of his entry-level deal, and he hasn't really done enough to justify one of those massive contracts that have been given out recently. If his agent, Kurt Overhardt, wants to maximize his next deal, it might be smart to wait and see how good his client can be in Nashville, since his value can only go up after the abysmal Seattle tenure.
The Predators will give Wright a fair deal regardless, since they won’t mess around and lose him after trading a player like Wood for him. It seems the organization will be patient with him, and Chris MacFarland is ready for a slow build toward success, according to Alex Daughtery via X.
""You don't need the weight of the world on you. You're not the fourth overall pick anymore. That was years ago. What you are is a good hockey player, and you still have growth in your game. We want you to come in here and be a part of what we're trying to build.""Chris MacFarland
The more everyone around the organization talks, the more it feels like this team is headed toward a rebuild, or at least a mini retool. Nashville's future is in the hands of the organization's young prospects, and MacFarland is the perfect general manager to lead it, having been there every step of the way with Joe Sakic as he built the Colorado Avalanche into the monster they've become.
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