Analysis: If Kraken Trade Shane Wright, Who Replaces Him?
Shane Wright’s time in Seattle could be over. Or at least it looks that way.
Last week, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Seattle Kraken were working together with Wright’s agent Kurt Overhardt on a trade. Wright is entering his third full NHL season and took a step back in his production last season with 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games, far from the numbers the franchise was counting on from the former top-five selection.
Yesterday on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said that he got some push back on the rumor, but still believes the 22-year-old center will be traded this summer.
“It was pretty clear from talking to other teams that it’s not a guarantee from the Kraken,” the NHL insider said. “They’re not going to just do it to do it. They want to get something fair in return… But it’s clear that we’re headed in this direction.”
Assuming youngster Berkly Catton stays on the wing and prospect Jake O’Brien doesn’t make the NHL, the Kraken will miss Wright’s impact down the middle not only in the future, but right now in the immediate present. Wright was slotted as the team’s third-line center next season, and earned significant power play time last season, albeit it with mostly underwhelming results.
Seattle missed the playoffs by 11 points last season, and could further drop in the standings if the team lacks depth down the middle. Keeping that in mind, if the Kraken do trade Wright, who replaces his impact moving forward?
Big Swings
Ideally, the Kraken could acquire a legit, top-line center. That would move Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson down to the second and third line, roles for which they’re better suited. There’s a couple options, but they’d require blockbuster trades signed off on by general manager Jason Botterill to make it happen.
Adam Fantilli
In light of the historic offer sheet of Leo Carlsson, and considering the Kraken’s over $18 million in available cap space, maybe they could offer sheet Adam Fantilli. The Columbus Blue Jackets have $21 million in available cap space with Fantilli, Cole Sillinger (more on him later), and goalie Jet Graves to re-sign.
The Blue Jackets have restricted free agents Denton Mateychuk, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov next season. They’ve also committed to keeping Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zach Werenski, who is due a new contract in two seasons.
If Seattle pitched an offer sheet to Fantilli with a long-term deal at $15 million AAV, would he sign it? That move would require the Kraken to give the Blue Jackets four unprotected first-round picks, a risk only worth it if the Kraken believe in Fantilli as a legit top-line center. Columbus could also match and make that return a moot point.
The Kraken could also try finding a trade with the Blue Jackets for the restricted free agent. The Kraken have valuable assets in their prospect pool, plus Wright as a potential chip to sweeten the pot. Botterill could use those assets in a trade for Fantilli without having that massive cost that would come with signing him as a restricted free agent.
The 2023 third-overall pick grew into a top-six forward last season with 24 goals and 59 points in 82 games. He scored 30 goals the prior season. Fantilli won the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award in his draft year as the MVP in college hockey.
Elias Pettersson
27-year-old Elias Pettersson might just need a fresh start. In 2018-19, the Swedish center won the Calder Trophy, and followed it up with consistent seasons as a top-line center. He had 102 points in 2022-23.
Since then, Pettersson’s scoring has declined in tandem with the Vancouver Canucks’ point totals. Last season, he put up 15 goals and 51 points in 74 games. He has six seasons remaining at an AAV of $11.6 million.
Still a few years away from hitting 30, Pettersson should be in his prime. And given his large cap hit and declining play, including from the supporting cast around him, he shouldn’t cost much in a trade. The Canucks are beginning their rebuild, so they may be open for business looking to recoup draft capital to accelerate those efforts.
A trade package centered around Wright and other assets could be enough to bring Pettersson to the Emerald City. However, he does have a full no-movement clause, so he could block a trade. But a move to Seattle would provide a nice change of scenery to hopefully get his career back on track and it isn’t a far trip south of the Canadian border.
If the Swedish center returns to form, Petterson would be the best center on the team by far. If not, he can still pass as the team’s first or second line center, but not put up the 100 points of four seasons ago.
Options With Upside
There are a couple young centers that could be pushed off their current teams at a lesser cost in return. They could fill into the third-line center role now, but hopefully grow into a bigger role in the future.
Peyton Krebs
The Buffalo Sabres have one of the best young forward cores in the NHL. As a result, 2019 first-round pick Peyton Krebs averaged only 13:46 of ice time last season. That number could drop further, as youngsters like Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius, and more continue developing into larger roles.
In 2021-22, after his trade from the Vegas Golden Knights to Buffalo, Krebs put up seven goals and 22 points in 48 games. That was promising, but his scoring has since sputtered. The 25-year-old tallied 12 goals and 39 points in 82 games last season.
Krebs is currently a restricted free agent and filed for salary arbitration yesterday. Given his low usage last season, Buffalo would have no problem taking a mid-round pick in exchange for a player who has roadblocks in front of him.
While Krebs has never returned to his form of five seasons ago, his scoring has risen each of the last three seasons. With Seattle, he could be given an increased role and produce around a half-point per-game in the Kraken’s middle-six.
Cole Sillinger
As mentioned, the Blue Jackets’ future cap situation could push one of their restricted free agents out. Sillinger, selected 12th overall in 2021, would be a solid third center with some upside. He did also file for salary arbitration, so he is no longer offer sheet eligible.
Sillinger made the NHL at 18 years old, and has five seasons under his belt. In 2024-25, he put up his best scoring pace in the NHL, with 11 goals and 33 points in 66 games. Last season, the 23-year-old put up 33 points again, but in 81 games.
The Blue Jackets have Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, Sean Monohan, and Voronkov as capable centers next season. If Columbus doesn’t see Sillinger in their immediate or future plans, Seattle could pounce and make an offer to acquire him.
Even with Sillinger filing for arbitration, he could become available given the salary cap crunch the Blue Jackets have coming up. The Kraken would need to trade a draft pick, or cost-controlled player to Columbus for Sillinger.
Buy-Low Options
After a week of free agency, there are few third line centers available. After trading Wright, the Kraken could add one or two options with significant risk and hope one can pass as their third center.
Kirby Dach
Kirby Dach has dealt with injury issues throughout his NHL career. The 25-year-old missed virtually the entire 2023-24 season and only played 37 games last season. He did factor into 19 playoff games for the Montreal Canadiens last season.
Dach has scored just under a half-point per-game the last two seasons. The 6-4 center also takes a lot of penalties, but could pot 15-20 goals if healthy for a full season.
Dach is currently a restricted free agent. Behind Nick Suzuki, the Canadiens already have Oliver Kapanen, Jake Evans, and Phillip Danault with top prospect Michael Hage waiting in the wings. Dach could be flipped for a future asset or a skater with less injury risk heading into next season.
For the Kraken, Dach’s injury history presents a huge risk, but it would be a worthwhile risk given the void Wright would leave.
Phillipp Kurashev
Phillip Kurashev is the top remaining center in unrestricted free agency, which means little a week after it opened. The 26-year-old dealt with an injury last December, but was a frequent healthy scratch by season’s end. Still, he put seven goals in the net and had 20 points in 43 games, playing both center and wing for the San Jose Sharks.
Kurashev is three seasons removed from a breakout campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing often with Connor Bedard, Kurashev scored 18 goals and 54 points in 75 games. His scoring has since declined. The last two seasons, Chicago and San Jose both had options to qualify his RFA rights, and both declined.
The Swiss forward would be the easiest addition for the Kraken, available for a one-year deal at a low cap hit in free agency. But considering Kurashev is still available this late into free agency, he’s not a lock to sign an NHL deal this summer and likely wouldn’t be a significant difference maker.
