Shane Wright's next team appears to be coming into focus
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Penguins keep surfacing in Shane Wright rumors, and the reason has less to do with need than with what Wright would actually cost.
Reports this week tie Pittsburgh to the 22-year-old Seattle Kraken center, the fourth overall pick from 2022 who has yet to find traction.
He entered the 2022 draft as the consensus projected first overall pick before sliding to Seattle at fourth.
The interest is real, not manufactured.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that two sources inside the organization say general manager Kyle Dubas and the front office are intrigued by Wright.
- Josh Yohe
That intrigue landed the same week Pittsburgh missed on Jason Robertson, who re-signed a one-year deal in Dallas.
Why the price, not the player, points to Pittsburgh
Wright's value sits at a floor. He managed just 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games last season under new Kraken coaching, buried on a checking line.
Wright's agent told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Seattle agreed to move him, wording that has since been questioned. A public availability still drains leverage from any sale.
That combination pushes the return toward futures rather than proven roster players. Futures are exactly what Dubas has hoarded.
Pittsburgh holds seven picks inside the top 64 across the next two drafts, the currency a floor-priced trade actually demands.
The bet is the next contract, not this one
Wright enters the final year of an entry-level deal worth $886K, then becomes a restricted free agent.
Whoever trades for him is really buying the right to set his next contract off a depressed season, not just one cheap year.
For a team still paying Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin while opening cap room behind them, a cost-controlled young center fits the timeline no free agent can match.
Coach Dan Muse's development record only sharpens the pitch.
The talent evaluation is the easy part; the math is what makes Wright a Penguins-shaped bet.
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