Kraken center Shane Wright was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Rangers. Despite the lack of offense from Seattle in that game, don’t expect him back in the lineup tonight against the Predators. He was out late at morning skate today and is projected to sit in the press box for a second straight game, Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports.
This season, it’s been a tough go of things for the 2022 fourth overall pick. Wright had played in Seattle’s first 18 games of the season but had struggled to produce, posting just a goal and an assist with 12 shots and an even rating while averaging 12:25 per game. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 43.9% of his draws, and has been a drag on the Kraken’s possession play at even strength. They’re controlling 46.8% of shot attempts compared to 49.8% without him, and Wright also has a negative expected goal differential for the first time out of his three NHL trials.
At least for now, he’s been overtaken on the depth chart by 26-year-old Ben Meyers, who was brought in on a two-way deal over the summer after becoming a Group VI UFA. Meyers played just 8:21 and lost all five of his faceoffs in his season debut against the Rangers, centering the club’s fourth line between Tye Kartye and Brandon Tanev.
If Wright sits for much longer, it’s fair to start speculating about a potential reassignment back to AHL Coachella Valley. The 20-year-old pivot had 22 goals and 47 points in 59 appearances there last season, adding 13 points in 12 playoff games as they advanced to their second straight Calder Cup Final. The former CHL Rookie of the Year now has six goals and three assists for nine points in 34 games dating back to his debut in 2022-23.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Ilya Samsonov won’t get the chance for a revenge start when his Golden Knights face the Maple Leafs tonight, in part due to the undisclosed injury that kept him out for much of November, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Samsonov returned to action Sunday against the Capitals after two weeks out of the lineup, allowing four goals on 24 shots in his second regulation loss of the season. After spending the last two seasons in Toronto, the 27-year-old Russian landed a one-year, $1.8MM contract with Vegas in free agency to platoon with Adin Hill. He has a 3-2-1 record, .897 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in his first six games for the Knights, who have gotten subpar goaltending overall but are still 11-5-2.
- Sharks goaltender Vítek Vaněček is traveling with the club on their two-game road swing through Dallas and St. Louis this week but remains unlikely to play, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The 28-year-old sustained an upper-body injury against the Penguins on Saturday that necessitated the recall of top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who backed up Mackenzie Blackwood against the Red Wings on Monday and is expected to do so tonight against the Stars. If Vaněček isn’t okay to dress by tomorrow, Askarov seems likely to make his Sharks debut in St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back.
Wright was very polished as a junior… he looked like a future NHL star in the moments between play.
I watched a boatload of Frontenacs games when he was there, and there were days where he’d dominate on the stats line– a goal and two assists or three assists and a +5– where he wasn’t even the best player on his team. He struggled to look as dominant as his stats and that’s not something you want to see in junior. I recall one game I saw in person, I was right behind the bench, and was thinking part way through the third period “Wright hasn’t done much today” and he had two assists when I checked the boxscore. That’s usually the sign of a player who is better than his peers, but not remarkably so– a frequent happening with players in the 16-20 range. The special players look special and Wright never did.
I think he’s going to be a good pro, a solid 2C in the 55-65 point range, but I think it was obvious he was never going to be a superstar and 4th will likely turn into a reach.