The St. Louis Blues are one of the teams just about every pundit expects to be active at the trade deadline. The same goes for the Seattle Kraken. After details emerged showing how hard the Kraken pursued Artemi Panarin, it seems like Seattle is looking to get a major deal done.
That said, NHL rumors have pointed towards Kraken center Shane Wright wanting out of Seattle. He’s looking for a fresh start elsewhere. That situation has led insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period to basically put two and two together.
Pagnotta floated a wild trade idea that would see the Blues and the Kraken put together a massive trade with Jordan Kyrou or Robert Thomas as the centerpieces in exchange for Shane Wright.
“With Shane Wright, he's the type of piece (Seattle) would package to get a Robert Thomas or a Jordan Kyrou.”
This trade idea wouldn’t necessarily be a 1-for-1 swap for the Blues and Kraken. There would likely be other pieces in the mix. But it would be the start. That said, would Wright be good enough for Thomas?
From the Kraken’s perspective, Thomas would be worth the deal. From the Blues’ perspective, it would take a lot more than Wright to move the needle. Perhaps a first-round pick and other sweeteners, like other draft picks and prospects, could make the trade work.
Blues would rather move Kyrou for Wright
The bottom line is that the Blues would much rather make this deal work for Kyrou. Wright gets his fresh start in St. Louis, while Kyrou becomes the top-six scorer the Kraken have been seeking.
But there’s something else here. Wright isn’t a sure thing. It’s not like Wright can step in and be that second-line center behind Thomas. He’s a bit of a reclamation project. That situation means Wright could blossom into a star or just wash out altogether.
Kyrou is also far from a sure thing. While heading to Seattle could rekindle his scoring, it could also mean he’s doomed to continue declining. As such, trading two question marks looking for a change of scenery makes much more sense than trading a sure thing (Thomas) for a question mark.
Unless the Blues get a mind-shocking haul for Thomas, the best thing to do is look to work out a Kyrou-Wright-based deal. It’s the most sensible idea for both teams moving forward. For the Blues, in particular, getting a former fourth-overall pick for Kyrou is not such a bad idea.