Shane Wright reaffirms commitment to Seattle Kraken after summer trade speculation

SEATTLE - 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.

"I'm not really caring about that. Not really focused on that at all," Wright said. "You know, I'm here, committed to the team, and you know, I want to make sure I have a good camp and get ready for the season and do what I can to help the team win. That's really it. Whatever media says or whatever outside noises, I'm not too worried about that right now. I mean, I had a great first day at camp here, and that's really what I'm focused on now."

The backstory:

Wright's agent, Kurt Overhardt, told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet in June that Kraken general manager Jason Botterill had agreed to move Wright "to a team in need of a top young center." Multiple sources reached out to FOX 13 to object to that assessment in the aftermath of Overhardt's comments. While the team was open to moving Wright, they weren't going to do so unless the deal made sense and returned appropriate value for a 22-year-old, right-handed center that was a top-five draft pick in 2022.

Three months later, Wright still remains with the Kraken as training camp got underway on Thursday.

"I'm certainly going to keep my conversations with Shane private," Botterill said of the matter. "It's what we do with other players, and we're certainly going to continue that here. But we've always said, and I've said from day one, I think I said it around the draft time too. Our main focus is to help Shane develop as a player, maximize his abilities as a player. He's a 22-year-old player who has great speed, great shot. I think that was on display here today. I thought he had a great day one of practice. He's come in focused about helping the Kraken, and that's where we're at right now."

Wright also expressed a desire to leave the situation behind him and move forward with 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."

Wright certainly knew the questions were coming about the situation as it's the first time he's spoken publicly about the matter since Overhardt made the comments – presumably on his behalf. It wasn't a media-created storyline, but a comment from his own agent that led to the line of questioning. Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings also faced a bevy of questions on Thursday as their training camp got underway after requesting a trade this offseason. While Wright didn't publicly voice a trade request, it's clear his agent was angling to make it happen.

Wright has spent the last two seasons as a full-time player in the NHL for the Kraken. He has appeared in 169 career games with 36 goals and 42 assists for 78 career points. Wright has effectively been a third-line center for Seattle, averaging around 14 minutes of ice time a game the last two years. That's not the production or ice time Wright may be looking for as he enters his third full season in the NHL.

"At the end of the day, it's up to me to prove and earn that trust, earn that ice time, earn that opportunity," Wright said. "You know, you don't just get given things in this league; you have to earn them, and that's my mindset. I got to go out there and show that I have gotten better and that I have improved, and that I deserve to get more opportunity. That I deserve, and can earn more of that trust. And yeah, it's on me. I got to go and perform. I got to show that – got to give them no other choice but to put me out there more. Yeah, it's up to me."

Head coach Lane Lambert said at the end of last season that he felt like Wright was a better player at the end of the season despite a dip in his numbers from the 2024-25 season. Lambert said he felt Wright had a good first day of camp and echoed those beliefs again on Thursday.

"I said last year at the end of the year, I said that Shane, in my mind, you know, even though the numbers weren't maybe what they were before, I thought Shane became a better hockey player. I said that. I stick to that," Lambert said. "He did earn trust last year in certain areas, and he's no different than any other player. You know, you have to earn trust. You have to be held accountable when you need to be held accountable, and you're responsible for your performance. And so he knows that. I'm looking forward to getting the season started with him and seeing where it goes. But like I said, I think that there's no question in my mind he became a better hockey player last year."

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