There has been one name floating around the National Hockey League rumor mill this week, and it belongs to Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright. The fourth overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft has not panned out as the most recent expansion franchise has hoped for, and they have made him available to the highest bidder.
The St. Louis Blues should be one of those suitors, as a fresh start could be very beneficial for both parties involved. Let's discuss it.
The talent is there, and it fits in nicely with potential future
The 22-year-old centerman has appeared in 144 games with the Kraken, scoring 31 goals and adding 37 assists for 68 points. Not what you ideally want from a top-five pick at this stage, but there have been worse. I am still looking at you, Nail Yakupov.
At this point, the Blues have not declared what their future plans will be. Only General Manager Doug Armstrong has figured that out, hopefully. If the plan were to be younger, blow up the current core group and start working on the next one, Wright could be the right guy to add in there.
If Robert Thomas is moved, or potentially captain Brayden Schenn, there is a void at the center spot. Wright, who has been underwhelming at the face-off dot with a career win percentage of 42.7, could learn alot from the current center pipeline. This is where new Springfield head man Steve Ott could have some insight to help sway Wright over.
The future players are already here and going to be a big part of this franchise going forward. Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, Otto Stenberg, Adam Jiricek, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Justin Carobbeau, Joel Hofer, the list goes on and on of young talent that will become the next core group. It is going to take a year or two of growing pains, but in the end, it might be worth it.
The Blues should try and persue Wright, and add it to that list of names above. Armstrong can get him for cheap, depending on how much Seattle wants to get rid of him. Seattle is in a prime playoff position as a potential wildcard team, so this is where one of those core pieces comes into play, and Wright could come over to St. Louis with a future draft selection with him.
That would be the ideal play here.