Rumor Corner: Shane Wright as the Key Piece to Land a Big Name

Michaël Petit
Rumor Corner: Shane Wright as the Key Piece to Land a Big Name
Credit: Dec 6, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright (51) celebrates scoring his first NHL career goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

At this time of year, there isn't much going on in the NHL.

Hockey fans have already been surprised by the Luke Evangelista trade. Aside from that trade, things have been pretty quiet over the past two months, which is to be expected.

However, there are still a few loose ends to tie up, and Shane Wright is one of them.

The Seattle Kraken forward has been at the center of several trade rumors, and he's expected to change teams at some point this season—if not before the season starts.

Just recently, on the Sekeres & Price podcast, David Pagnotta was a guest and discussed Wright's situation in Seattle.

According to the renowned insider, the Kraken won't want to include him in a package just to trade him for a young player. Instead, they'd prefer him to be the centerpiece of a deal to land a big-name player.

If Wright is the centerpiece of a trade for a big name, let's be honest—that player in question won't be such a big fish.

Wright doesn't have enormous value on the market, even though he's still young (22), but he's been slow to establish himself as a top-6 player in the NHL.

In his first full season in 2024–25, he racked up an impressive 44 points in 79 games. However, things have been much tougher this season, with only 27 points in 74 games.

It would be quite surprising if the Kraken could land a big-name player (like Dylan Larkin, even though he doesn't have the Kraken on his trade block) in exchange for Wright.

Let's see if the Kraken can get what they want.

It would be surprising if Quinn Hughes signed a long-term contract extension

Quinn Hughes' situation is also generating a lot of buzz throughout the NHL.

He's one of the best defensemen in the NHL and is entering the final year of his six-year contract, which pays him $7.85 million per season.

Many are waiting to see what his contract extension will look like, if he chooses to stay with the Minnesota Wild.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN believes he won't sign a long-term deal, since his brother Jack Hughes' contract is set to expire in 2030.

It's easy to draw parallels between Quinn Hughes and his brothers with the Devils.

Clearly, if Quinn Hughes extends his contract with the Wild, it will be for three years, so that he can become an unrestricted free agent at the same time as his brother Jack.

However, the most plausible scenario, in my opinion, is still that he'll play the entire season in Minnesota without extending his contract and will therefore be able to sign with the Devils on July 1.

To make that happen, the Devils will need to create cap space to ensure they can accommodate Quinn's new contract, which is likely to be among the highest in the entire NHL.

The Buffalo Sabres as a Logical Destination for Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck is another big name generating a lot of buzz. Why? Because he recently requested a trade.

Hellebuyck seems to be more flexible about his potential destinations (unlike a certain Dylan Larkin), but which teams would be logical choices for the American goaltender?

David Pagnotta believes Buffalo would love to welcome Hellebuyck.

Indeed, the Sabres would be a very logical destination. Not to say that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen isn't a good goaltender, but adding Hellebuyck would still be an excellent upgrade.

To make that happen, we might see a three-team trade to facilitate the move.

I could see Alex Lyon or even UPL landing in New Jersey to back up Jake Allen.

Plus, the Sabres certainly have something interesting to offer the Jets in exchange for the star goaltender.

I can't wait to see when these three situations will be resolved.


In a nutshell

– There probably aren't many people stressing out about MSL's next contract.

– Enjoy the show.

– Great pass.

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