Wednesday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils were given some bad news, learning that the Utah Mammoth matched their one-year, $4.775 million offer sheet to center Barrett Hayton. The move comes both unsurprisingly -- it was reported by Andy Strickland that this was the expectation a day prior -- and surprisingly, in the sense that the placement of Hayton within the Mammoth lineup is perplexing to say the least.
Still, with the news that the offer sheet was matched, it is presumed that there are a couple of other moves in the chamber for Sunny Mehta. One proposed idea seems to have taken the fandom by storm, and that is 22-year-old center Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken.
Wright, who was selected fourth overall in the very same draft that saw the Devils select Simon Nemec two slots earlier, has not quite lived up to his pre-draft expectations. The 6'0, 192-pound center has accumulated 78 points -- 36 goals and 42 assists -- in just 168 games over the last four years, solely being a full-time NHLer in the last two seasons.
Admittedly, that 0.46 point-per-game production has come in a third-line role, with Wright scarcely playing with top-six talent in an organization that has generally starved for such players since its inception.
The thing is, the underlying metrics for Wright are a bit of a mixed bag. In 2024-25, his first true season in the big leagues, he had an expected goal share (xGF%) of under 46%, generally getting hemmed in during his minutes. In 2025-26, things were better for him with a 50.43%, being one of just three Kraken regulars to win his minutes.
Still, Shane Wright isn't the answer for the New Jersey Devils
Most of that was due to defensive impacts, which is the area of the game that Hayton most impacted as well. According to HockeyStats, Wright ranked in the 74th percentile for even-strength defensive wins above replacement (WAR), far outpacing his 22nd percentile offensive WAR. Being that he's just 22 years of age, it certainly stands to reason that there is room for improvement on both sides of the puck in the right system.
Typically, though, youngsters with high potential show up everywhere in terms of microstatistics, which are tracked pieces of data that have to do with touching or being around the puck. Despite that stereotype, the only piece of tracked data in which Wright ranked above the 50th percentile -- league average -- is chance assists, which are passes that lead directly to scoring chances. That's undoubtedly valuable, to be clear, but is a glaring red flag when that is the only above-average mark he had in 19 categories that range from rush chances to defensive puck touches to zone exits and entries.
If there's one thing Mehta and company have proven thus far, it's that they have an affinity for players who do a lot of stuff with and around the puck, between the draft and trade acquisitions and even minor league signings. Wright, at this point in time, is not that, and it stands to reason that the Kraken may have stifled his development beyond repair. Yes, he is just 22 years of age, but the habits he has built and his playstyle have changed drastically from the player he was in the minor leagues.
With that, it's possible -- and perhaps smart -- that the Devils avoid Wright in conversations altogether.
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