Wright was given his exemption to play in the AHL if he doesn't make the Kraken's NHL roster. An exemption is needed because of the agreement between the CHL and NHL, which forces players to continue their Junior careers if they are still eligible, instead of joining AHL teams.
Buffalo, though, isn't receiving the same treatment. Their prospect, Matt Savoie, is pretty much identical to Wright. Wright is four days younger than Savoie and has played 68 fewer junior games. The only difference is one can play in the AHL this year, and one will have to return to the WHL.
Savoie has dominated the WHL, scoring 226 points between the regular season and playoffs in the past two seasons with the Winnipeg Ice. He has been playing in the WHL for quite some time as well, as he was an emergency call-up when he was in Midget. It's safe to say that his development will be limited if forced to play another year in Junior.
However, it looks like that will be the case, despite the Kraken being able to keep Wright with their farm team, a decision that is seemingly not being applied equally across the NHL.
