Kraken rookie Shane Wright might have been playing with a chip on his shoulder against the Canadiens on Tuesday night, as he scored his first NHL goal against the team that passed on drafting him first overall in July.
SHANE WRIGHT SCORES HIS FIRST NHL GOAL… AGAINST MONTREAL 🚨😱 pic.twitter.com/vvUOYRSroy
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 7, 2022
Wright, playing in his first game since he was demoted to the AHL a month ago, scored about 15 minutes into the first period against Montreal.
Wright was the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft for more than a year, and it wasn’t until the weeks before the draft that reports indicated the Canadiens were split between him and Juraj Slafkovsky at the top of the draft.
Montreal ended up selecting Slafkovsky, and Wright slipped all the way to the fourth pick after Simon Nemec and Logan Cooley came off the board.
Shane Wright scores his first career NHL goal… against the Habs. pic.twitter.com/rsSVYrBgDo
— BarDown (@BarDown) December 7, 2022
Slafkovsky has made an impact for the Canadiens already – in fact, he had an assist against the Kraken on Tuesday – but Wright will hope his first NHL goal is the first step in making Montreal regret its decision.
The Kraken sent Wright to the AHL in early November to get him consistent playing time, and he responded by scoring four goals in five games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The momentum appeared to carry over against the Canadiens.
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Wright’s goal is only the latest positive sign for the Kraken in their second season on the ice. Seattle finds itself in a playoff spot at 15-6-3 and appears to have a budding star in 2021 No. 2 pick Matty Beniers.
The Kraken envisioned Wright becoming a core piece of their future when he fell to them in the draft, and the 18-year-old might already be playing his way into more ice time.
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