Should The Canadiens Pursue Shane Wright?

Wright was seen as the consensus first overall pick heading into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft before the Habs ultimately went with forward Juraj Slafkovský instead. Wright then fell to fourth overall and was elected by the Seattle Kraken. Fast forward to this past weekend, and almost four years to the date (July 7, 2022), he was drafted by the Kraken; Shane Wright has asked for a trade out of Seattle. Considering the plethora of young centres in the Kraken organization, it’s not much of a surprise that the young player feels that he could get more of an opportunity elsewhere. 

It’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are in need of a centre to play on the second line with Ivan Demidov. While development hasn’t gone as well as many hoped for Wright, at just 22 years old, he still has the potential to be a second-line centre that could fit in well behind Nick Suzuki in the lineup. That being said, it’s fair to question whether or not he is even a better option than current Canadiens centre Oliver Kapanen, who has already shown that he has some good chemistry with Demidov. As of now, neither player is the most ideal second-line centre for the Canadiens, but Wright has the advantage with potential and pedigree, whereas Kapanen has the results with Demidov in his favour. 

Another thing that helps Wright in this argument is that without Demidov by his side, Kapanen wasn’t able to produce much offence, as the majority of his 22 goals were all scored playing with Demidov. Not to mention, Kapanen didn’t put up a single point in his last 17 games (ten in regular season and seven in the postseason). Still, Kapanen finished the season with a solid 22 goals and 37 points thanks to his connection with his fellow rookie linemate. 

During the 2025-26 season, Wright went through a sophomore slump after having a very solid first full season with the Kraken. Wright’s numbers fell from a good rookie season with 18 goals and 44 points in 79 games to only getting 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games this past year. 

In this case, a skilled winger like Demidov could be the one to unlock that offence that we haven’t seen from Wright in Seattle over the past few years. At the very least, Wright could be a good young filler for the role until Michael Hage is ready to take on the second-line role. The way Hage has progressed, it really seems like he could be the answer for second-line centre, but with him returning to Michigan for another season, the Montreal Canadiens will need to have someone be a stopgap in the meantime. Can Wright be that guy?

Although Wright isn’t the player many thought he’d be when he put up 66 points in his age 15 season after being given exceptional status in the OHL, he does have great qualities to be a fit at centre for the Canadiens. On top of his 20-goal and 50-point potential in his game, Wright is also good in his own end and could make for a solid third-line centre if Hage eventually takes the second-line role as expected.

While the same can be said for Kapanen, the potential that Wright brings is certainly higher, which is why the Canadiens could acquire Wright for Kapanen and another prospect like Adam Engstrom or a second-round pick. The Canadiens could get Wright for even less considering that he’s coming off of a bad season.

There may be a risk in getting Wright, but given that he asked to be traded as well as the down year that he just had, picking him up on the cheap would be worth it. If Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes can pick up Wright in a trade and the return doesn’t include a member of the team’s core high-end prospects or a first-round pick, it could just be a move that proves further why his patience this offseason is well worth it. However, if it will cost a top prospect and first-round pick, the Habs should steer clear.