NASHVILLE - The Nashville Predators continued shaking up the roster over the weekend by trading forward Matthew Wood to the Seattle Kraken for forward Shane Wright. Both players were former first round draft picks that are still looking to prove themselves at the NHL level and each get a fresh start and a new opportunity with a new organization.
Wright was on the ice for Predators practice on Monday morning after catching a 5:30 flight from Seattle to Nashville on Sunday.
"Super excited. Really looking forward to being here and being a part of this group," Wright said. "Just overall excited to be a part of the team. Nice to be able to get here and get a practice in before tomorrow's game, but yeah, really, really excited."
The former fourth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft spent his early career back and forth from the NHL and AHL with the Seattle Kraken and Coachella Valley Firebirds before becoming a fulltime NHL player in 2024. He played as a third-line right winger for the Kraken this season, but will likely be utilized at center with the Predators.
"I wouldn't say we requested a trade," Wright said. "I think for me I just always wanted a little more opportunity. I wanted to have more minutes, wanted to play a bigger role, whether that was in Seattle or somewhere else. I was happy to do that, but yeah, moving on from that situation and happy to be here."
That opportunity will come in Nashville as Wright spent the morning skating on the second line in between Filip Forsberg and Nils Hglander. He's shown strong skating ability and has the potential to be a two-way player in the NHL, utilizing speed to put pressure on opponents.
"Yeah, I want to play fast," Wright said. "I want to move my feet, and pressure their players, and make it hard on them. Turn pucks over and transition quickly. Hopefully, I want to bring a lot of offense, want to bring a lot of speed and energy to the game. I'm trying to bring that here."
He noted this new opportunity serves as a chance to refresh his career after scoring 39 goals and 82 points in 183 games for the Kraken across four seasons and the start of a fifth.
"Yeah, absolutely," Wright said. "Every guy just wants the opportunity. Every guy just wants the chance to showcase themselves. I want to be able to do that here. I want to be a part of something big here. Just want to help the team wherever I can, keep proving myself, keep helping the team."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/predators/onsi as Shane Wright Reacts To Being Traded to Nashville Predators .
