Shane Wright “Fully Committed” To Kraken Ahead Of Camp

When a player has publicly postured for a trade like the Kraken’s Shane Wright did early in free agency, there’s always a risk that the player will opt not to report to training camp and accept a suspension if it’s not honored. That isn’t the case here, though. His agent, Kurt Overhardt of KO Sports, told Josh Frojelin of Emerald City Spectrum on Friday that Wright is “fully committed to the Kraken,” with seemingly no trade on the horizon between now and the beginning of training camp on Sep. 17.

Wright’s desire to move on from Seattle wasn’t submitted or reported as a formal trade request. Instead, Overhardt said back on July 4 that Kraken general manager Jason Botterill had “agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young center.”

While Botterill likely meant that with full intent and is obviously still trying to find a new home for a Wright, it doesn’t look like he made as strong of an original promise as Overhardt’s original statement may have implied. The Canucks have displayed interest in him all summer – and are reportedly Wright’s preferred destination – but evidently haven’t provided a proposal to Botterill’s liking. The Penguins have kicked the tires, too, but Wright’s interest level is unclear, although it’s not as if he has any trade protection to sway a deal.

All the talk about Wright’s future comes after a tough-to-swallow campaign for the 22-year-old. Selected fourth overall four years ago, he looked well on his way to becoming at least a top-nine fixture with a 19-25–44 scoring line in 79 games in his first full NHL season in 2024-25. The sophomore slump hit him hard, though, as he managed only 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games last season, while his shooting percentage and possession numbers dipped in sheltered usage.

He’ll be walking into a top-nine center role again in training camp in Seattle, if for no other reason than any real lack of competition. The Kraken are also invested in his success, whether that means salvaging the relationship and nurturing his development or boosting his stock to help ease a trade along. After all, the 6’0″ pivot was the presumptive first pick in the 2022 class for quite some time and was the OHL’s Rookie of the Year back in 2019-20 as a 16-year-old.