Surprising Team Likely Out On Shane Wright Trade
Per Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, the Pittsburgh Penguins trading for Wright "seems highly improbable," a shift that traces back to two developments: a roster move Pittsburgh already made, and a price tag Seattle refuses to come down on.
"The Kraken are believed to have asked the Vancouver Canucks for Tom Willander or Zeev Buium in return for Wright," the outlet reported. "The Penguins don't have anything like that. Now, if the Kraken lowered their price or were interested in one of the Penguins veterans, that may be a different story."
Pittsburgh Already Filled The Hole Wright Was Supposed To Fix
The interest was legitimate for a stretch.
The Athletic's Josh Yohe reported in July that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas was "intrigued" by Wright, with sources telling him the fit made sense given Pittsburgh's lack of proven young centers behind prospect Ben Kindel.
So, when Shane Wright will be traded?
— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) August 6, 2026
But Pittsburgh has since signed center Tommy Novak to a multi-year extension, addressing the exact organizational need Wright would have filled. Yohe had flagged the asking price as an issue even before that signing, warning it was "substantial, and possibly more than Pittsburgh is willing to pay."
Vancouver already tested that price and walked away. Per Kingerski, the Canucks called Seattle with real interest in Wright, but the Kraken "set a trade price so high that they chased away Vancouver," a indication Kingerski said should be a warning to Pittsburgh as well.
A Straight Trade Doesn't Balance The Books Either
Even a swap built around Pittsburgh's own trade chips runs into the same wall. One analysis of a potential Rickard Rakell-for-Wright framework found Seattle would be giving up a 22-year-old center under team control for a 33-year-old winger on a much bigger contract, which would be an imbalance that pushes Seattle to demand more than one veteran name in return.
LET'S WATCH: Shane Wright
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 14, 2026
The Kraken and Wright (SEA51) have reportedly agreed to find the young forward a new home this offseason. Here's a game of his from January. pic.twitter.com/kD2H1Be7Ru
Wright is coming off a rough second full season, dropping to 27 points in 74 games after a 44-point campaign the year before, and remains under contract for one more season at just $886,000 before restricted free agency in 2027.
That cheap, short-term price tag is part of why interest hasn't disappeared entirely, even with a deal to Pittsburgh looking unlikely for now.
