Leading up to the 2022 NHL Draft, there was plenty of debate about whether Juraj Slafkovsky or Shane Wright should be the first overall pick. The Canadiens clearly made the right choice with Slafkovsky, but they might now have a chance to add Wright to their roster to address a need.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Seattle Kraken is working with Wright to faciliate a trade:
“I can confirm that we have had positive conversations with GM Jason Botterill, and he has agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young centre,” Wright’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, said Wednesday.
Wright has spent the past two seasons at the NHL level, and after 44 points in his rookie season, he regressed as he had only 27 this past season. However, at only 22 years old, there are some teams that could believe there is some untapped potential, and he could be a Top 6 forward.
One of those teams should be the Montreal Canadiens, as trading for Shane Wright presents them a low-risk, high-reward situation. After the season, it was clear they needed a center for their second line after Oliver Kapanen struggled in the playoffs and was a healthy scratch.
Unfortunately, there are usually not many Top 6 forwards available, and if they are, they command a huge return.
Montreal Canadiens should try the Shane Wright experiment before Michael Hage makes the jump to the NHL
It seems that all indications are that Michael Hage will be heading to the NHL once his season wraps up at Michigan this upcoming year. The Canadiens don't want to block Hage's path to the NHL, and he is expected to be their center for their second line.
By making a trade for Shane Wright, they have a season to figure out if he can turn his career around. If he does, Wright is set to be a restricted free agent, and the Canadiens could re-sign him to play center, move him to wing to create a spot for Hage, or trade him as his value would have increased.
However, if he continues to struggle, the Canadiens really only lose whatever they gave up in a trade with the Seattle Kraken. At this point, it shouldn't be too much, and maybe a 2027 second-round pick, Kirby Dach, and a prospect are enough to make a trade happen.
While it isn't a clear answer to upgrading their second line, at this point in the offseason, there aren't many options out there that are. Shane Wright is still young enough that he could have enough upside that the Canadiens could take a chance on him.
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