There’s been an interesting name to surface on the NHL trade block ahead of the approaching trade deadline in March, and that’s Seattle Kraken center and former fourth overall pick Shane Wright.
Wright, who just turned 22, is now 150 games into his NHL career where he’s posted 31 goals and 68 points across parts of four seasons, though has only been a main roster staple for the last two of them.
The Flyers are starved for help down the middle, especially a young player who may have more to give offensively, so it sounds like the exact target they should be trying to acquire, but why should they?
Number 5: The Success of Zegras
When talking about trading for a rehab project, the Flyers have a pretty good recent example of the good that could come with it in Trevor Zegras. The former Duck struggled with injuries and lackluster play for the last two seasons, only to turn into a point-per-game player with the Flyers this season.
Yeah, Zegras at least had some previous NHL success in Anaheim. He was a two-time 60-point scorer, so there was at least some proof that he had a better player already within him, but Wright is young enough, and Seattle has been bad enough that there be reason to believe that he can still breakout in the NHL.
If somebody else acquires him and he becomes a real star, the Flyers are going to look real bad for not getting in on the ground floor when they had the chance.
Number 4: Still on his ELC
Wright has one year left on his entry-level contract, and is a restricted free agent during the 2027 offseason. If for some reason he doesn’t work out, there’s no long-term commitment.
Assuming they don’t overpay in a trade, this seems like a no-harm, no-foul kind of trade if the worst case manifests.
Number 3: He’s a Center
There’s virtually no good reason why the Flyers should be turning their noses up at acquiring a 22-year-old center with upside. It’s literally what the doctor ordered. Sure there’s questions as to what that upside actually is these days, but it’s a diamond the Flyers should take the time and polish.
On the flipside of this argument, we’ve seen that Tocchet seems to favor two-way centers. He hasn’t even given Zegras a look down the middle, so if Wright shows up and wouldn’t immediately be a two-way faceoff machine, he may just end up on the wings as well, which would defeat the whole point of the trade to begin with.
Number 2: Cheap Trade Value
If the Flyers are scared of taking a real swing at someone like, say, Robert Thomas via trade or Nick Schmaltz via free agency this year, then picking some low hanging fruit like Wright makes the most sense. His age, position and former draft status will create some interest from a bunch of teams, but he hasn’t actually done much of note in the NHL yet, so it’s not like Seattle can demand some kind of blockbuster for the guy. The Flyers have more than enough draft picks, prospects and main roster overflow to meet pretty much any price tag anyway, may as well take a swing on this guy.
Number 1: Makes Sense Positionally
The name of the game for the Flyers should be adding centers and reducing wingers. The rumored return Seattle wants is top-six scoring help. That’s a bit ambiguous, but if the Flyers can offload one of Owen Tippett or Bobby Brink (or maybe both as part of a larger package) and add Wright who can play center, they then also open up a spot on the wings for Porter Martone, who will likely make the full-time NHL jump next season. Seems like a win-win all around if they play their cards right, even if Wright may not be a star.
This is the kind of 4-D chess the Flyers tend not to play, but any smart GM should be able to see that’s exactly the roster shuffling that needs to happen, be it Wright or somebody else.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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