At some point, Matthew Wood fell out of favor with the Nashville Predators. When that happens to a young player, the best course of action is often to give him a fresh start, especially if you can acquire another young player with a similar issue. The Predators get that in former Seattle Kraken fourth-overall draft pick Shane Wright, who has been seeking a fresh start for over a year.
"“We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards. We feel he will bring a strong, two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him.”"Chris MacFarland
Something about Chris MacFarland's statement might explain the decision-making. Wood is more in the middle of the pack in terms of skating speed, and MacFarland making a point of saying Wright brings more pace to the lineup speaks volumes about what Nashville wants from him and what they didn't see in Wood.
You don't trade a 21-year-old because of one game, but Wood's time-on-ice numbers dropped significantly after a shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks in October. It could be a coincidence, but playing one of the league's young, fast teams may have changed the team's view of Wood, since he couldn't keep up with them in his top-six matchups.
However, this isn't the Predators giving up on a player for nothing because they think he is slow. Wright is a former fourth-overall pick who hasn't reached his full potential in Seattle. Who knows, maybe he won't reach it in Nashville either, but the Predators are taking a bet on a two-way center here who can learn and grow from some of the team's veterans, especially someone like Ryan O'Reilly.
Shane Wright has to follow Ryan O'Reilly's two-way center lead
MacFarland could be a viable replacement for O'Reilly if the veteran moves to another team at the trade deadline. The front office isn't interested in moving any of the team's core as long as a playoff spot is within reach, so the hope is that Wright helps those players instead of replacing them, but who knows where we will sit by the March 1 trade deadline.
The fans should be excited about the idea of Wright, and while a bit of skepticism is allowed, he is still just 22 and figuring it out in the NHL. If you want to continue the comparison, O'Reilly didn't hit 60 points until his fifth season, has hit 70 points just twice in his career, and isn't viewed as an offensive dynamo. However, he's had value across the league, continues to have value into his age-36 season, and has a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Selke Trophy on his mantle.
We won't heap those expectations onto Wright, but if he figures it out and has anywhere near that type of career in Smashville, fans will look back on this trade fondly.
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