Sports

A division rival may have the inside track if Shane Wright becomes available

Blue Line Station · Jul 22, 2026 20:25 · 3 min read

A division rival may have the inside track if Shane Wright becomes available — Dec 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright (51) skates against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have been linked to Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright since the trade deadline. However, the rival Pittsburgh Penguins have reported interest in Wright.

The New York Rangers did their best to improve the roster to ensure they don't stay in the basement of the Eastern Conference for another year. While the defense as a whole is the most improved, they did add some forwards to their arsenal. The big move was trading for winger Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights and signing him to a seven-year, $77 million contract extension. Then, the Rangers signed former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

Even with these two additions, the Rangers could still use a forward in their middle six, especially with Vincent Trohceck no longer on the roster. While not enticing, there are options available at their disposal. One name that has been brought up for the Rangers is Shane Wright, the former 2022 third-overall pick. dating back to the lead-up to the trade deadline. As of now, Wright is still in Seattle, and he'd offer the Rangers as a potential high upside option, considering he hasn't quite panned out in the NHL as a top overall prospect.

But it appears that one division rival of the Rangers are huge fans of Wright, and could very well make him a non-option in New York.

The Athletic's Josh Yohe reported Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is "intrigued" by Wright and likes him. That, and brings up the fact that Ron Francis, who drafted Wright in Seattle when he was the general manager, is now with the Penguins organization. Plus, there are other members of the front office who are familiar with Wright during his time in the OHL.

Rangers could lose out on Shane Wright to rival Penguins

"...I have heard that Dubas likes him. And remember, former Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis just returned to the Penguins organization, and few people know Wright better on a personal or professional level than Francis," writes Yohe. "The Penguins have also hired several front-office employees who recently worked for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League, where Wright played his junior hockey.

"Wright makes all kinds of sense for the Penguins, but it’s the same old story. From what I’ve heard, the asking price for Wright is, to put it lightly, substantial, and possibly more than Pittsburgh is willing to pay."

The Penguins have so many links to Wright, and not just through interest. Obviously, there is the Francis link, who selected him after he fell into Seattle's laps after he had long been pegged as the No. 1 overall pick. Plus, as Yohe mentions, there are employees that used to work with the Kingston Frontenacs when Wright was playing with the team. So with multiple links to Wright, it's difficult to imagine the Penguins not attempting to trade for him.

In his first full season with the Kraken (2024-25), Wright put up 19 goals and 25 assists through 79 games. Hoping that there would be some growth, the Kraken watched Wright's production dip this past season, as he only recorded 27 points in 74 games.

Kraken's asking price for Shane Wright could be too high to pay for Rangers or Penguins

Given the lack of production for Wright, you'd think there would be a low asking price for him. That's not the case. Since the trade deadline, the Kraken have primarily been shopping Wright for a scorer. As Yohe mentions, the asking price remains high for Wright. That's not necessarily something the Rangers or the Penguins could offer. Perhaps the Kraken's ask will change in the coming months.

Regardless, Wright could be a low-risk high reward player for any team that acquires him. A change of scenery might help him reach his potential. It will be interesting to see if the Rangers will try to acquire Wright, or if the Penguins' interest is legitimate and they add him before the start of the season.