Minnesota Wild Open To Trading Jesper Wallstedt
The Minnesota Wild “would be open to dealing” top young netminder Jesper Wallstedt “if the right deal comes along,” The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported today. On Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast today, Elliotte Friedman echoed Russo’s report, adding that Wild GM Bill Guerin may have already attempted to deal Wallstedt as part of his longstanding efforts to acquire a top-six center.
As part of Russo’s report, he indicated that “the right deal” to include Wallstedt, from the Wild’s perspective, would be one that brings a pivot capable of filling the No. 1 center role to Minnesota. The Wild are, according to Russo, “aggressively looking” to add a top-six center to their lineup. 
That isn’t exactly fresh news, nor is it something that would come as any real surprise to anyone who takes a look at the Wild’s current depth chart at the position. But what is new are these concrete reports that the Wild are willing to include Wallstedt in a deal that fills their longstanding need.
On one hand, the Wild’s reported willingness to deal Wallstedt is somewhat surprising. That’s largely because of how excellent he’s been this season, which has supercharged his stock league wide. Wallstedt has a .914 save percentage through 21 games this season, and while he’s slowed down a little bit, he earned some votes in NHL.com’s midseason poll of Vezina Trophy candidates.
This breakout season has been a long time coming for Wallstedt, who has long been considered one of the game’s best prospects at the position. The 2021 first-round pick had a tough 2024-25 campaign, but impressed in his first two seasons in the AHL, posting .908 and .910 save percentages in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Under contract through next year at a $2.2MM cap hit, Wallstedt looks to be an emerging starting goalie, and one that could provide a significant amount of surplus value if given the right workload.
But what makes Wallstedt’s name surfacing in trade rumors less of a surprise is the wider situation Minnesota finds itself in at the goalie position. While Wallstedt could indeed provide a considerable amount of surplus value due to his $2.2MM cap hit, Minnesota isn’t positioned to truly take advantage of that. Wallstedt currently operates in a tandem with 27-year-old Filip Gustavsson, who has been one of the league’s better goalies since arriving in the Twin Cities. He has a .908 save percentage in 33 games this season, and is likely to be Minnesota’s go-to option in the playoffs, even if Wallstedt isn’t dealt.
Not only is Gustavsson Minnesota’s No. 1 netminder at this moment, his contract positions him to occupy that role for the foreseeable future, without much room for that to change. The $6.8MM AAV contract extension Gustavsson signed in October 2025 carries a full no-move clause for the first two years of its duration, before morphing into a 15-team no-trade clause. That NMC means the Wild are essentially locked into keeping Gustavsson as their starter for the next few years, a reality that makes trading Wallstedt all the more logical.
Wallstedt has long been projected to eventually become an impactful NHL goalie; As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gustavsson’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, negotiated the NMC into the first two years of Gustavsson’s deal with an eye towards warding against the possibility that his client could be dealt in order to pave the way for Wallstedt to take the reins as an undisputed No. 1 goalie in Minnesota.
Considering all of those factors, it becomes clear why the Wild are considering dealing Wallstedt, even though they likely know they’d be trading away a player who could be one of the league’s top goalies through the 2030s. The logic behind trading Wallstedt becomes even clearer when one considers how singularly focused the Wild are on maximizing their window to win as long as Quinn Hughes remains a Wild player.
Hughes’ contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he has not given Minnesota any assurances that he’ll extend his deal and remain there. Consequently, it is in Minnesota’s best interests to not only maximize their chances of winning for the two playoff runs they have Hughes under team control for, but also to try to win as much as possible with Hughes in order to help convince him to sign an extension to remain in Minnesota.
Hughes had to play through some lean years as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, something he acknowledged weighed on him considerably. It’s likely, therefore, that whether or not a team is positioned to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup will hold a great degree of influence over their odds of signing Hughes. And with Kirill Kaprizov now 28 years old, it’s clear the Wild’s competitive aspirations lie in players more around Gustavsson’s age (late twenties) than Wallstedt’s (early-to-mid twenties.)
As for who the Wild might target in any Wallstedt deal, that becomes more difficult to ascertain. The team is reportedly very interested in New York Rangers pivot Vincent Trocheck. But it’d be surprising to see New York trade Trocheck for a goalie seeing as the team already has star Igor Shesterkin locked into their starting role for the rest of the decade and beyond.
A hypothetical three-team trade could land Trocheck in Minnesota and send Wallstedt to a goalie-needy team, with that third team sending skater prospects to New York. But including a third team is a major hurdle to clear, and one that makes it so Minnesota is likely to need to leverage other assets if they want to acquire Trocheck.
Considering teams that might covet Wallstedt, or at least have a more pressing need in net, a few other potential candidates emerge. On the most recent trade board made by The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, there were five centers listed that most would reasonably consider to be of the top-six caliber Guerin is seeking: Nazem Kadri, Elias Pettersson, Robert Thomas, Ryan O’Reilly, and Trocheck.
Unfortunately for the Wild, nobody in that group appears to be a real candidate to be traded in a deal involving Wallstedt. The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators (employers of Kadri and O’Reilly, respectively) each have goalies (Dustin Wolf for Calgary, Juuse Saros for Nashville) whose presence would likely limit their interest in Wallstedt. The goalie situation of the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues are more up in the air, but Minnesota may not want to take on Pettersson’s hefty $11.6MM cap hit, and the Blues are unlikely to have much interest in dealing their No. 1 center to a divisional rival.
Among teams who would stand to benefit most from adding Wallstedt, the New Jersey Devils are a clear candidate. While backup Jake Allen has performed admirably, starter Jacob Markstrom has endured a brutal campaign. Adding Wallstedt might stabilize the Devils at a position that has caused them so much trouble in recent years, but it’s not a clean fit. Markstrom signed a two-year, $6.5MM extension in October, and has a full NMC through the end of the season. Allen has a full NTC through 2026-27, and is under contract (at an affordable $1.8MM AAV) through 2029-30. Fitting Wallstedt into that picture might not be realistic.
The Ottawa Senators have a clear need in net, but trading away a key center such as Shane Pinto or Dylan Cozens may be a less optimal route for the team to improve than simply attempting to get incumbent starter Linus Ullmark‘s game back on track.
The Montreal Canadiens have a clear immediate need in net due to the struggles of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, but the looming presence of top prospect Jacob Fowler could scuttle the possibility of a deal. While Montreal would certainly benefit from adding Wallstedt, trading away the kind of center Minnesota would demand in return (such as promising rookie Oliver Kapanen) might not be in the team’s best interests with Fowler so close to being NHL-ready.
This is all to say that as things currently stand, Wallstedt is one of the most interesting trade candidates heading into this year’s deadline. They have many different factors to contend with when deciding not only whether or not to trade him, but also what kind of deal to construct if he’s indeed traded. The numerous different considerations the club will need to navigate are fascinating, and make Wallstedt a clear player to watch moving forward.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Snapshots: Sabres Injuries, Ravensbergen, Olympic Freeze
The Buffalo Sabres are arguably the NHL’s hottest team at this moment, having won 18 of their last 22 games. They’ve kept up their winning ways more recently despite the loss of center Josh Norris, who suffered a rib injury on Jan. 14. While the latest injury to the Sabres’ oft-injured pivot was a cause of concern, it appears he is progressing in the right direction and is nearing a return to game fitness. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told the media, including Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe, that Norris’ status has been upgraded to day-to-day. Blueliner Jacob Bryson, who was placed on IR on Jan. 23, is also day-to-day.
While star Tage Thompson is undoubtedly Buffalo’s best and most effective forward, Norris has pushed him for that mantle at times this season. The 26-year-old has scored 17 points in 19 games this season, including a stretch in early December where he managed seven points in just four games before suffering another injury. Norris was acquired by the Sabres last season at the deadline in a trade that sent pivot Dylan Cozens (and a second-round pick) to the Ottawa Senators. It was a calculated risk for Buffalo, who elected to take on Norris’ $7.95MM AAV contract that runs through the end of the decade. Former GM Kevyn Adams’ calculated risk has paid off when Norris has been healthy, but he’s only played in 22 total games as a Sabre. Now that he’s inching closer to full health, whether he can stay on the ice will be the clear top storyline to watch regarding Norris as his Sabres tenure progresses.
Other notes from across the hockey world:
- San Jose Sharks 2025 first-round pick Joshua Ravensbergen will leave the CHL to play NCAA hockey for Michigan State University next season, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported today. Ravensbergen, 19, is one of the top goalie prospects in the sport, and will leave the WHL’s Prince George Cougars to play college hockey, rather than turn pro. Ravensbergen, who turns 20 in November, would have been eligible to play in the AHL (or ECHL) next season after at some point signing his ELC. Now, he’ll forgo that path in order to follow Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine as a top young goalie developing with the Spartans. The move also signals that Augustine is likely to turn pro after three seasons at Michigan State. Augustine was his conference’s top goalie last year and has a .938 save percentage in 17 contests in 2025-26.
- Puckpedia outlined some of the NHL’s roster restrictions for the upcoming Olympic break in a post today, highlighting a few ways in which NHL teams will be restricted from moving players while NHL games pause for the tournament in Italy. During the roster freeze, which begins the afternoon of Feb. 4 and ends on Feb. 23, no trades are permitted. In addition, players who are waivers-exempt can only be sent down if they have not played in 16 of the team’s 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan 21. Puckpedia also clarified that players can be placed on waivers during the freeze, but if a team is waived after a team’s final game before the freeze begins, that player will not need to report until Feb. 17. These rules are likely to impact some of the transactions that get made in the coming days ahead of the freeze, as teams position themselves, and their prospects, for the break in the schedule.
St. Louis Blues Reassign Otto Stenberg
The St. Louis Blues have reassigned forward Otto Stenberg to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, according to a team announcement.
Stenberg’s reassignment clears an open spot on St. Louis’ 23-man roster, one that could soon be claimed by winger Dylan Holloway. The 24-year-old is currently on IR with an ankle injury, but skated this morning. That could be a sign that his return is imminent. Holloway, who is an arbitration-eligible pending RFA, scored 63 points in 77 games last season and has 17 points in 34 contests this season.
Holloway’s impending return spells the end of Stenberg’s lengthy first recall to the NHL level. Originally recalled on Dec. 15, Stenberg ended up skating in a total of 18 contests for the Blues. He averaged 14:00 time on ice per game, earning an increased level of trust as his recall progressed. Last week was a significant one for Stenberg, as he earned considerable time on both special teams units in the final few games of his recall.
Being sent down at this point paves the way for Stenberg to be eligible to play in the AHL during the Olympic break. That’s likely the best move for his development, as he still has room to produce more consistently at that level. He began the season with just eight points in 21 games in Springfield, and figures to be a key player for the Blues’ affiliate for as long as he remains in the AHL.
Stenberg is widely considered to be one of St. Louis’ better prospects, earning a preseason rank of No. 5 in the team’s prospect pool by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and No. 8 by Elite Prospects. Both project Stenberg as a future middle-six NHLer. Finding a way to score more consistently at the AHL would go a long way towards helping Stenberg maintain that projection moving forward.
Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Nick Lardis
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that forward Nick Lardis has been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
While Lardis has performed admirably in his first two months as an NHL player, he finds himself returning to the AHL as a result of the wider numbers game that gets played when planning an NHL roster.
Lardis, 20, has been able to maintain his spot on Chicago’s NHL roster, in part, because of how many injuries the Blackhawks were facing up front. But with veteran Teuvo Teravainen set to return to the lineup tomorrow after a six-game absence, Lardis found himself the odd one out in Chicago’s forward picture.
While one could certainly make the argument that Lardis has played better than some of the forwards who remain on the Blackhawks’ roster, the fact of the matter is he’s a rookie still navigating his first year in the pro ranks.
The Blackhawks’ interest in maximizing Lardis’ development likely outweighs their interest in making marginal improvements to the bottom half of their NHL lineup at this point. Lardis’ development is almost certainly better served playing a key role in the AHL rather than a role as a fourth-liner or even spare forward at the NHL level. A veteran such as Sam Lafferty (who has been a recent healthy scratch) or even an older prospect with more pro experience like Colton Dach are better fits for that kind of role.
Consequently, Lardis finds himself back in Rockford after a solid first stint in the NHL. The former OHL star was able to flash his signature qualities (competitiveness, fearlessness, instincts as a goal-scorer) at times during his first recall, finishing with five goals and seven points in 21 games. With Rockford mired near the bottom of the AHL league standings, Lardis will get the chance to lead a turnaround and try to help spark a push for an AHL playoff spot.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Victor Mancini, Jonathan Lekkerimaki
The Vancouver Canucks announced today that defenseman Victor Mancini and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. In a pair of corresponding moves, the Canucks placed forward Brock Boeser and defenseman Zeev Buium on injured reserve. Both IR placements were made retroactive to Jan. 25.
In the Canucks’ loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, Boeser took a high hit from Penguins forward Bryan Rust, which appears to have left Boeser with an injury. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Rust will have a hearing tomorrow for the hit, while Boeser now figures to miss at least three games. The earliest Boeser can return is for Vancouver’s contest against the Utah Mammoth on Feb. 2. There also appears to be a chance Boeser will not return until after the league’s Olympic break, though a more detailed recovery timeline for the forward was not disclosed by the club.
Buium was struck with a puck to the face early in Vancouver’s contest against the Canucks, and after missing some time in the game, returned wearing a bubble cage for the rest of the contest. A more detailed recovery timeline for Buium was also not made available, but like Boeser, he will miss at least three games due to his injury.
While the Canucks’ season, as far as playoff contention is concerned, is all but over already, the loss of both Buium and Boeser for these few games is nonetheless unfortunate.
Buium was the centerpiece of the Quinn Hughes trade from the Canucks’ perspective, as one of the game’s top blueliner prospects. The 20-year-old former college hockey star has averaged 20:24 time on ice per game as a Canuck and has six points in 20 contests. Boeser, 28, is one of Vancouver’s core players, signed through 2031-32 at a $7.25MM AAV. While his 25 points in 50 games certainly represents a scoring decline compared to prior years, his presence in Vancouver’s forward lineup nonetheless helps give some of the team’s younger, developing players an experienced, accomplished veteran to line up next to. Because of this injury, the Canucks lose that presence for the next few games.
Replacing Boeser in the lineup is Lekkerimaki, who was the 15th overall pick at the 2022 draft and is among the club’s top prospects. The 21-year-old has scored 16 points in 16 AHL games this season, and added two points in his eight games of NHL experience in 2025-26. There’s a chance he could slot directly into Boeser’s vacated spot on the Canucks’ second line, putting him in a trio with Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor. That would be a significant opportunity for a forward who has thus far averaged 10:53 time on ice per game this season.
Taking Buium’s spot on the Canucks roster is another young player: Mancini. The 23-year-old was acquired from the New York Rangers last season as part of the J.T. Miller trade, and has had an up-and-down stint in the Canucks organization thus far.
He’s excelled at times, both in spurts at the NHL level and more consistently at the AHL level, where he helped Abbotsford win the Calder Cup last spring. So far this season, he’s only skated in nine games at the NHL level, averaging just 13:12 time on ice per game with little usage on special teams.
This recall places Mancini in a position to push young blueliner Tom Willander, who missed Sunday’s game with an illness, for a regular spot on the right side of the Canucks defense. Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers, the two veterans on that side of the blueline, are unlikely to be going anywhere, meaning Willander, the 11th overall pick at the 2023 draft, represents the clearest candidate from whom Mancini might try to win a lineup spot.
While it’s likely Willander has a clear leg up in terms of his chances of dressing in head coach Adam Foote’s nightly lineup, this recall is still a significant opportunity for Mancini as he tries to stake his claim to a spot in the Canucks’ future plans. At this point, Mancini’s place in Vancouver’s long-term strategy is unclear.
Three days ago, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal wrote that “the lack of improvement in his NHL play is becoming a bit concerning,” adding that “the clock is ticking for Mancini to make meaningful strides and prove he’s still an important piece of the organization’s future.” While he might not receive a significant amount of NHL time on this current recall, making the most out of whatever opportunities he receives will be imperative for the pending RFA.
Photos courtesy of Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Morning Notes: Panarin, Hamilton, Faulk
New York Rangers leading scorer Artemi Panarin is arguably the best skater likely to be traded in advance of this season’s trade deadline, and as a result, it appears the Rangers are set to receive a significant package of assets in exchange for the pending UFA’s services. Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada that the Rangers’ “starting point” in terms of their asking price on any Panarin trade is the package received by the New York Islanders when they traded away Brock Nelson last year.
The Islanders received a first-round pick, top prospect Calum Ritchie, and a third-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nelson, who was also a pending UFA. That would indicate that the Rangers are, at least, looking for a first-rounder and a high-quality prospect in exchange for Panarin. Nelson was, and is, certainly not of the same caliber of talent as Panarin, but unlike Panarin, Nelson has the extremely valuable attribute of being a natural center, which upped his value considerably. Friedman named the Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals, and the Los Angeles Kings as teams that are considering making a pitch to acquire Panarin. The veteran, who has 56 points in 51 games this year, has the protection of a full no-move clause in his contract.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Friedman also issued an update on the status of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who is widely considered to be one of the top blueliners available to be acquired via trade. Per Friedman, the recent injury to blueliner Luke Hughes has slowed trade talks surrounding Hamilton “to a crawl” as the Devils await further clarity on the status of their promising young defenseman. Hamilton has 17 points in 46 games played this season and is under contract at a $9MM AAV through 2027-2028.
- The St. Louis Blues are likely to be among the selling teams in this year’s trade market as they currently sit second-to-last in the Western Conference with 47 points. One of the players they are considering trading is veteran defenseman Justin Faulk, a 33-year-old with one more year under contract at $6.5MM AAV. Friedman reported yesterday that the Blues are looking for a trade package comparable to what the Calgary Flames received in exchange for Rasmus Andersson in any Faulk deal. (The Flames received a first-rounder and a conditional second-round pick for Andersson alongside veteran Zach Whitecloud.) Faulk has been St. Louis’ No. 3 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, and has 24 points in 52 games.
Blue Jackets Activate Mason Marchment, Place Denton Mateychuk On IR
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that forward Mason Marchment has been activated off injured reserve in advance of the team’s game tonight against the Dallas Stars. In a corresponding move, the team placed injured blueliner Denton Mateychuk on IR.
Marchment missed the last eight games due to an upper-body injury, an ailment that halted the momentum he appeared to be building in Columbus after his mid-season trade from the Seattle Kraken. Marchment made an instant impact with the Blue Jackets, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games since the trade.
As a pending UFA, Marchment’s performances down the stretch in 2025-26 were always set to carry an outsized level of importance, at least personally to the player’s future. Marchment’s trade to Columbus only further emphasized the importance of his play in the coming weeks, as he has a chance to secure a spot in the Blue Jackets’ future plans.
The 30-year-old forward only managed four goals and 13 points in 29 games with the Kraken before the trade, prompting some worry that Marchment’s days as a 20-goal, 45 or 50-point scorer could be in the rearview mirror. His performance through seven games as a Blue Jacket went a long way towards silencing those doubts, and he’ll now get the chance to strengthen his position entering negotiations on his next contract.
Replacing Marchment on IR is Mateychuk, who has been out since Jan. 11 with an upper-body injury. It was reported earlier this week that the hope for Mateychuk is that he’ll be able to return at some point in the latter portion of this week. The Blue Jackets made Mateychuk’s IR placement retroactive to Jan. 11, meaning he’s eligible to return to the team’s active roster whenever he’s healthy.
Columbus has a full 23-man roster at this moment, so a corresponding move is likely to be necessary whenever Mateychuk is able to return. Seeing as blueliner Dante Fabbro is set to miss at least a week with a lower-body injury, it’s likely that whenever Mateychuk is ready to return, Fabbro will replace him on IR to open up a roster spot.
Mateychuk, 21, is a key young defenseman for the Blue Jackets. He’s their No. 3 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 20:20 per game including 2:12 on the penalty kill. He’s also managed to score eight goals and 21 points in 44 games.
Ottawa Senators Recall Stephen Halliday
The Ottawa Senators announced today that forward Stephen Halliday has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Ottawa had an open spot on their 23-man active roster, meaning Halliday was able to be recalled without a corresponding move.
Today’s transaction returns Halliday to the Senators’ NHL roster under two weeks removed from his original reassignment. Halliday spent most of late November through early January skating in the Senators’ lineup. The 23-year-old scored six points in 18 games, averaging 8:12 time on ice per game, including 2:04 per game on the power play.
A 2022 second-round pick out of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, Halliday had a strong NCAA career with Ohio State before turning pro in the spring of 2024. He has been thoroughly impressive in the pro ranks, scoring 51 points in 71 games as an AHL rookie last year, and 26 points in 22 AHL games this year.
The 6-foot-4 center entered the season seen as one of Ottawa’s more promising prospects. He was ranked the club’s No. 4 prospect by Daily Faceoff, and No. 7 in their system by Elite Prospects, with both outlets projecting middle-six potential for Halliday.
Now back in the NHL, the goal for Halliday will be to earn a more substantial role than the one he received during his last stint in Ottawa. While he got a solid amount of power play time, he barely played at even strength. Halliday has every physical tool necessary to be able to make a shift-by-shift impact on the ice, and this transaction today will give him the opportunity to prove that.
As a pending RFA whose entry-level contract is set to expire at the end of the year, Halliday has every incentive to string together quality NHL performances and secure his place in Ottawa’s future plans.
Morning Notes: Sherwood, McTavish, McMann
The San Jose Sharks surrendered a pair of second-round picks in order to acquire veteran forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks, and though he is a pending UFA, the club has made efforts to sign Sherwood to an extension that would keep him in San Jose beyond just this upcoming spring. According to Chris Johnston on TSN’s Insider Trading segment, initial talks between the Sharks and Sherwood’s camp, which is led by Judd Moldaver of Wasserman, have not borne fruit.
Johnston reported that “there is still a pretty big gap between where the Sharks see Sherwood’s next contract going, and what he and his agent think is fair,” and added that Sherwood’s camp believes they can push for as much as $30MM on a long-term deal for Sherwood. The 30-year-old winger has 17 goals this season and is one of the NHL’s most effective players in terms of racking up hits. Whether the Sharks will ultimately be able to reach an agreement with Sherwood is still unknown, but the key for Sherwood will be to return to full health and then hit the ground running in San Jose.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish was a late scratch by the team before last night’s contest against the Colorado Avalanche, with the team revealing he suffered an upper-body injury. Head coach Joel Quenneville addressed McTavish’s status with the media postgame, telling assembled reporters (including The Hockey News’ Derek Lee) that he doesn’t at this point know for exactly how long McTavish’s injury will sideline him, but believes the ailment is not too serious. Any extended absence for McTavish would deal a real blow to the Ducks, as the 22-year-old pivot has been a key contributor with 30 points in 49 games this season.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann has been a real developmental success story for the organization, rising from undrafted Colgate University product and ECHLer to NHL 20-goal scorer. The hard-working 29-year-old has 15 goals and 25 points this season, and is scoring at a 25-goal, 42-point 82-game scoring pace. He’s a pending UFA, and has lined himself up to receive a significant pay raise. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported yesterday that the Maple Leafs are exploring the possibility of signing McMann to an extension, and he speculated that the price tag on McMann could reach as high as $5MM per year.
Kraken Open To Trading Shane Wright
The Seattle Kraken are reportedly open to trading 2022 No. 4 overall pick Shane Wright as they pursue adding an impactful top-six scorer, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta wrote yesterday that the Kraken have “been searching for a top-six forward,” and believe including Wright in a deal could be the key to landing a caliber of player that makes a real impact on their team.
That Seattle is even considering trading Wright would have been a stunning development before the start of the 2025-26 season.
Entering the season, Wright looked well on the way to becoming a long-term core piece in Seattle.
His development path in years prior endured a few stops and starts, but 2024-25 was Wright’s first campaign as a full-time NHLer, and he blossomed.
He scored 19 goals and 44 points, the second-most points by a Kraken center and production that was just seven points behind 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky.
Wright’s encouraging NHL campaign ensured he was viewed as a key cog in the Kraken’s future plans. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked him as a top-25 U23 player in the entire NHL, writing that Wright “has no noticeable flaw in his toolkit” and “could be a second-line center on a top team or a fringe 1C on a lesser team.”
In a league where quality centers are always in high demand, he looked to be an asset for the Kraken that got as close to “untouchable” status as anyone on their roster. The belief was that Wright and 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers would form a formidable backbone of two-way centers through whom the Kraken could anchor their forward lineup.
Wright’s 2025-26 season has, unfortunately, appeared to change the team’s calculus looking into the future. While Wright saw real developmental gains under former head coach Dan Bylsma, that momentum appears to have largely stalled under new coach Lane Lambert, even as Lambert keeps the Kraken in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The hope for Wright was that after finishing the year as one of Seattle’s top scorers despite earning just 14:04 time on ice per game, he might be able to earn a greater role in his sophomore campaign, and something that could consequently power an even greater developmental leap.
That has not happened so far. In fact, it’s been the opposite. Wright has struggled to gain a foothold in Lambert’s lineup, averaging just 13:43 time on ice per game, with a second-unit role on the power play and no role on the penalty kill.
For a variety of reasons, including his role, Wright’s production has declined steeply. He’s scored 17 points in 49 games, which is just a 28-point 82-game scoring pace. His shooting percentage appears to be a major culprit, as he converted shots into goals at a nearly 21% rate last season, but is hovering at 9.3% this year.
Wright’s shooting ability was generally assessed by scouts to be his most high-end offensive tool, so the fact that he is struggling to find the back of the net this season only compounds concerns about the current state of his development.
With Wright’s current situation in mind, it can’t be a huge surprise to see his name surfacing in trade rumors. It may have come as a great surprise entering the season, but Wright’s development appears to have stalled to the point where a trade is only a natural thing to consider.
Whether that would be the best idea for the Kraken is, of course, a matter of debate.
On one hand, Wright remains an undeniably talented center on a team still short of high-end pivots. While his struggles this season may have shifted his projection in the eyes of some evaluators, the reality is he is still just 22 years old. There’s still reason to believe he can end up becoming the high-end second-line center scouts have long believed he’d develop into.
Impactful two-way top-six centers don’t grow on trees, and any deal involving one, even a potential future player for that role, becomes a difficult deal to win.
Trading Wright this season would also be, undeniably, “selling low” on a player who was a premium draft pick and high-end prospect. This season has been the low point of Wright’s career since being drafted, so it would be an inopportune time for Seattle to trade him, from a pure value standpoint.
On the other hand, the Kraken could badly use a dynamic offensive creator, and even the high end of Wright’s projection doesn’t include a realistic possibility of him becoming one. Centers are in demand across the NHL to a severe degree, and even with his struggles in 2025-26, Wright still figures to command a significant amount of value if dealt. There’s no doubt that if he were dangled in a trade, the Kraken would have the buying power to be able to land the kind of winger that fits their clear need for a dynamic offensive creator.
When considering what kind of player the Kraken could target if they indeed shop Wright, they could either leverage his age, pedigree, and positional value to land a more established scorer than Wright is at this moment (perhaps even adding other assets to swing a deal for as high-end of a target as possible), or they could target a winger in a similar developmental situation to Wright who happens to better fit the kind of talent profile they’re targeting.
If they elect to pursue the latter tactic, a name such as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson checks a lot of boxes. He was the No. 5 pick of the draft before Wright’s, and like Wright, appeared to be nearing “untouchable” status in his market after 2024-25.
He scored 57 points in 68 games, looking every bit like the hyper-skilled, dynamic offensive creator he was drafted to be. Also like Wright, Johnson’s 2025-26 season has been virtually unrecognizable compared to the year prior.
A player such as Johnson, even with his struggles this season, would require a significant trade asset in order to pry loose — which is where Wright could come into the picture. The idea of a Wright/Johnson deal is entirely speculative, of course, as there have been no firm reports of who Seattle might be targeting specifically.
But when examining the league-wide landscape for players who could be a fit in a Wright deal, his name emerges as an intriguing possibility, as both players look like they could benefit from a change-of-scenery transaction.
Regardless of what player Seattle might target — or if they end up even trading Wright at all — Pagnotta’s report underscores how important Wright is to the Kraken’s future.
He’s either going to get his development back on track and become a valuable two-way pivot in Seattle, or the team will leverage his trade value to acquire an impactful roster addition. Either way, his progress is one of the key storylines to watch in Seattle moving forward.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images