Nashville Sends Wood to Seattle, Gets Shane Wright Back

The Predators traded forward Matthew Wood to the Kraken on Sunday in exchange for Shane Wright, a straight forward-for-forward swap that addresses something real on this roster. The center depth behind Ryan O'Reilly has been thin — Tyson Jost has logged essentially nothing in terms of production at that position — and Wright at least gives Nashville a name with upside to slot into that conversation.

Wright was a top overall pick not long ago, which is the relevant piece of context here. He has not yet become the player that draft position implied, but he is still young enough that the Predators are not buying a finished product at a discount — they are buying a reclamation project with a recognizable ceiling. That is a different calculation than filling a hole with a journeyman.

What Nashville gave up is worth noting. Wood had been the third option at right wing and was producing at a level that at least registered. The Predators' right wing situation remains a concern regardless — Joakim Kemell has been a non-factor at the top of that depth chart — so moving Wood out of the mix there is a cost, even if a manageable one.

On balance this looks like Nashville deciding Wright's potential is worth more than Wood's current contribution. My read is that it is a reasonable bet, but the Predators still have significant depth problems that one trade does not fix.