It is almost getting to time for the NHL Trade Deadline and knowing where the Penguins are in their rebuild or retool, they have the cap space to keep adding to the team. If the Seattle Kraken do indeed make Shane Wright available, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas needs to be calling right away.
A player of Wright's caliber and his young age is the exact kind of player that Dubas has been targeting for this new wave. The Penguins have been all over guys that are still not yet at their prime and in their early 20s looking for a fresh start.
Wright is only 22 years old but has not had the ideal start to his NHL career that he has been looking for. He has played 143 games in now his fourth season with Seattle and has tallied 31 goals and 37 assists for his career.
So far this year it has been the struggle bus for Wright as he only has 7 goals and 10 assists in 48 games. This is the type of player that is looking for a change of scenery as it does not seem to be working out over on the West coast in Seattle.
Wright could immediately slot into the top six for the Penguins if they were to deal someone like Anthony Mantha who was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason. Mantha is a veteran that the Penguins could get a solid piece for and Wright could take his spot if Dubas comes calling.
Head coach Dan Muse could definitely help unlock Wright as Muse is known for doing really well developing young players. So, if Dubas decides to give Seattle a call and ask about Wright, it would do a lot of good for him and for the plan that Dubas has put together for the Penguins.
And if the Penguins really wanted to go after him, they definitely have the pieces to make it happen. Ideally, they swing bigger at Jason Robertson but being able to have Wright here for an extended period of time and be able to figure his game out again, would be awesome for the future of the Penguins.