Dave Hakstol on Shane Wright's slow start to the season.
The head coach explains his decisions.
The Seattle Kraken have had a busy start to the National Hockey League regular season with 3 games over the span of 4 days, but it appears that their first round draft pick will be notably absent from 2 of those games.
Although Shane Wright, who was drafted 4th overall by the Kraken, made his debut on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks, he has subsequently been held out of action by Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol. On Thursday, when the Kraken faced off against the Los Angeles Kings, Wright was made a healthy scratch and held out of action entirely and it seems that may once again prove to be the case on Saturday when the Kraken face off against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Wright did not participate in line rushes during the Kraken's morning skate, and unsurprisingly Hakstol was asked about his decision to keep the promising youngster out of the lineup. Hakstol replied by merely suggesting that it was all part of the learning curve for Wright, who is admittedly only 18 years old.
"We've talked a lot of about a real good plan for him developmentally, making sure he's got positive opportunities to be in the lineup," said Hakstol. "It's the NHL level. There's competition."
The Kraken no doubt recognize that there will be tremendous pressure on Wright moving forward, especially following the drama that unfolded when he fell down to #4 in the 2022 NHL draft. Wright was already drawing some criticism following his performance in what was his very first NHL preseason and Hakstol stated clearly that they want to put Wright on a path that will allow him to succeed to the best of his abilities. That of course at the end of the day would be the best case scenario for both player and team.
"There's expectation when you're in the lineup. But it's much more than that for Shane," admitted Hakstol. "We've talked a lot about a good, positive pathway for him."
Regardless of how the Kraken handle Wright moving forward, there will continue to be a great deal of interest in his development.
