NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 19: Matthew Wood #71 of the Nashville Predators battles in front of the net Ryker Evans #41 of the Seattle Kraken during an NHL game on March 19, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (John Russell / NHLI / Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken have traded former first-round draft pick Shane Wright to the Nashville Predators in exchange for winger Matthew Wood.
The deal was first reported to be close by Eliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and the team confirmed the trade Sunday afternoon.
"Matthew is a young forward who adds size and an elite shot to our group," Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. "He’s a skilled player, with high hockey sense, who demonstrated his offensive potential last season as a rookie in the National Hockey League. We’re thrilled to welcome Matthew to Seattle and excited to see his impact on our team. We thank Shane for his contributions to our organization and the city of Seattle, and we wish him all the best in Nashville."
The backstory:
The No. 4 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, publicly applied pressure to the Kraken this summer in an attempt to get Wright traded. Nothing happened prior to the start of the season, and Wright said at the start of training camp that his focus was on playing his best for the Kraken.
"That was in the summer. I'm focused on the present here right now in training camp, and I don't want to let anything kind of distract me like that," Wright said. "I'm focused on being a good teammate, you know, working hard, putting the effort in, and getting ready for the season. That's it."
Shane Wright reaffirms commitment to Seattle Kraken after summer trade speculation
Shane Wright affirmed his commitment to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday after his agent expressed a desire to get his client moved to a different organization earlier this summer.
Wright had three goals and an assist in 14 games played for Seattle this season. Traditionally a center, Wright has been playing right wing alongside Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko for most of the season.
Wright has appeared in 183 career games with the Kraken, scoring 39 goals with 43 assists for 82 points. He had 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in his first full season before regressing to 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points last year.
Wood, 21, is a right wing with size. At 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, Wood will give Seattle another bigger forward to add to their group. Kakko and Bobby McMann have been additions the Kraken have previously made in the last two seasons to try to get more size into their lineup.
Wood was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft out of the University of Connecticut. The Kraken selected Eduard Šalé with the 20th pick in that draft five picks later.
After spending a season at the University of Minnesota, Wood has played parts of three seasons with the Predators, appearing in 91 games with 18 goals and 16 assists. He has a goal and two assists in 14 games for Nashville this season.
The Source: Information in this story comes from Sportsnet, the Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE KRAKEN NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Seattle Kraken fall 6-2 to Flames as penalty kill struggles
Seattle Kraken top Maple Leafs 5-4 on Montour goal
What's Kraken: Seattle coming off loss to Wild, host Maple Leafs tonight
Jared McCann to miss 10 weeks for Seattle Kraken
Seattle Kraken stumble in 5-1 loss to Wild
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.