Following Trade From Seattle, Wright Excited for Fresh Opportunity With Preds

Shane Wright couldn’t stop smiling. 

The 22-year-old had a whirlwind of a Sunday that involved a trade from Seattle to Nashville, but if the newest member of the Predators was even a tad stressed, he wasn’t showing it. 

Instead, what Wright exuded as he addressed the media following his first practice with the Preds on Monday morning was excitement and anticipation for the new opportunity in front of him - one that he’s ready to take advantage of. 

“Super excited, really looking forward to being here and being part of this group,” Wright said from his new stall in the Nashville locker room with the No. 15 next to his name. “I think I'm just overall excited to be part of the team. Nice to be able to get here, get a practice in before tomorrow's game, but really excited to be here.”

The Predators acquired Wright on Sunday afternoon in exchange for Matthew Wood - a 1-for-1 deal for a pair of forwards with plenty of potential. Wright, who is in the midst of his third full NHL season, has 82 points in 183 games of experience with the Kraken. 

Selected fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright recorded 19 goals and 44 points in 2024-25, and while he’s seen his numbers dip since then, the Preds are intrigued by the intangibles Wright can bring to the lineup, namely his speed and skill, at the center ice position. 

“I'm hoping he could be a top-six forward that brings a lot of pace through the middle of the ice,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of his hope for Wright. “He’s responsible defensively, from what I've been told, and solidifies the center ice position for our group; that’s kind of my hope. That's something we're going to push to do. We still believe he's a young player that probably needs a little bit more confidence, needs a little bit more belief for him to take that next step, and hopefully we can get it to that step from here.”

“We're excited,” Preds President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Chris MacFarland said of the trade. “What makes it interesting, obviously, for everybody to talk about is it's two young players that are in sort of their young stages of their careers, and…what’s exciting for both parties, is they're both going to get better. So, for us, we just felt it made sense for quite a few reasons, and we're excited to add Shane. We think he's a natural fit in the middle of the ice, and we feel we've got a great opportunity for him to improve day-by-day, and he'll be a better player in the spring than he is now, and he'll be a better player next fall than he is now… I hear nothing but good things about Shane, so we're excited today.”

Just the sixth player ever to be granted exceptional status to the Canadian Hockey League as a teenager, Wright was named the CHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 after leading first-year skaters in goals (39) and points (66) before recording 94 points with OHL Kingston in 2021-22. 

MacFarland and Brunette have both mentioned Wright’s pace and his ability to get up and down the ice, something Nashville wants to improve in their game. After skating with Filip Forsberg and Nils Hoglander during Monday’s practice, Wright figures to get a chance to show what he can do on Tuesday when the Predators host Carolina, a prime opportunity against the defending champions. 

“We'll see where he fits here, but I’m going to try to put him at center,” Brunette said of Wright. “Hopefully, he can bring a lot of pace for our group through the middle of the ice… But it’s exciting. As a coach, you always believe that you can bring the best out of a player, help develop him to the best version of himself. So, I think we're always excited to put work in and to watch the growth of a young player. He’s no different than all our younger players, but we are excited to work with him.”

Wright says while the trade came as a surprise, his immediate excitement upon hearing Nashville as the destination was through the roof. Not only is the Burlington, Ontario, native thrilled for the chance to learn from veterans like Ryan O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos and Forsberg, but residing in the Music City isn’t half bad either. 

“I always love playing here,” Wright said of Nashville. “I always love the energy and the noise and the fans in the building. Obviously, the city is unbelievable. One of the best cities in the world, for sure, and I'm really excited to be here.”

The Preds feel the same, and while time will tell what the future holds for Wright in Nashville, MacFarland simply wants his newest player to enjoy all that comes with a change of scenery like this. 

“I told him last night, your game is good,” MacFarland said of Wright. “You don't need to have the weight of the world on you. You're not the fourth-overall pick anymore. That was years ago. What you are is a good hockey player, and you still have growth in your game. And we want you to come in here and feel a part of it and what we're trying to build, and hopefully you're in the middle of that as we get this off the ground. So, it's a great opportunity. But again, we're back to that same question: to have the role that any young player wants, you're going to have to earn it, and you earn it by gathering trust day by day.

“We know [he’s] a good NHL player, and it's going to be our job, collectively, from the coaches to our development department to our strength department to help him maximize the God-given hockey abilities that he has and put him into good spots and see if we can get it out of him. But we're excited to give him that chance.”

Wright is ready to embrace the new challenge in front of him, and while he’s barely been a member of the Preds for 24 hours, his enthusiasm for what’s to come is palpable. 

And now that the work has begun, he can’t wait to sport Gold for the foreseeable future. 

“Just growing with the team,” Wright said of how he views the opportunity. “Obviously, I'm still young, so I want to hopefully be here for a number of years, build something special here and be part of a winning culture and a winning group. Obviously, the goal is winning Stanley Cups. That's a goal for me, for sure.”