Dispute surfaces in Seattle when it comes to Shane Wright

Ahead of his NHL debut, Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis had confirmed that the plan was to keep rookie forward and first round pick Shane Wright on the roster all season after he had impressed at training camp.

However, five games into 2022-23, plans could possibly change.

There’s been some controversy surrounding Wright, who had a chip on his shoulder after falling to fourth overall in the NHL Draft when he was projected to go first and join the Montreal Canadiens. As a result of this fall in the draft many were excited to see how Wright would perform in the season, especially when some extra motivation now fuelling his desire to prove to the Habs they should have taken him first.

But things aren’t going as planned or the fuel is bad. Wright was used on the fourth line on his first game and was a healthy scratch for the second and third contest of Seattle’s season. Then on Monday night for the fourth game on the calendar, but just his second, Wright was used for just six minutes and 50 seconds, just 36 seconds more than in his other contest.

On Wednesday night, for his fifth career game, Wright got a rude welcome into the league as he got run over and destroyed by St. Louis Blues forward Ivan Barbashev when he was skating along the boards while attempting to retrieve a loose puck. Wright did however eventually pick up his first NHL assist on a goal by teammate Ryan Donato.

But that might not be enough to have him stay with the Kraken. According to Darren Dreger, who spoke about Wright during the latest segment of Insider Trading on TSN, the young Kraken’s forward might be sent back to his junior team.

“There is a debate. Where is it going to be best for him to develop? He is CHL eligible. So he cannot go obviously to the American Hockey League, which would mean if he’s being sent down, he’s being sent back to the [CHL]. That debate is age old between the CHL, the AHL and the NHL. It’s a day-by-day, game-by-game analysis for the Seattle Kraken.”

The dispute also stands in Seattle as head coach Dave Hakstol revealed how he intends to give Wright more ice time and responsibilities in future games. I guess Wright’s reaction to the new work load could very well dictate whether he stays in the NHL all season or gets sent back down.

He could have to prove it as earlier as tonight when the Kraken faces the defending Stanley Cup champions Avalanche in Colorado.