Kraken Acquire Matthew Wood in Swap with Predators

The Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators completed a one-for-one trade on Nov. 1. The deal sent winger Matthew Wood to Seattle in exchange for center Shane Wright. Both teams were already competing for playoff berths at the time of the swap.

Wood struggled to start the 2026-27 season, recording three points in 14 games. Wright fared slightly better with four points in the same span. Despite the modest early numbers, the Predators viewed Wright as a player with fewer questions. Wright was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft and posted 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games during the 2024-25 season. That performance established a strong baseline for a player who had only 16 games of NHL experience in the two prior years. He followed that up with 12 goals and 27 points in the subsequent season, proving he could score in double figures in back-to-back campaigns.

Nashville plans to insert Wright into a second-line center role. He will share the lineup with Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Drury, and Alexander Kerfoot. The team aims to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2024, when they were eliminated in the first round.

The Kraken moved Wright due to inconsistencies following his 19-goal campaign and a deeper group of options at center. Berkly Catton leads the team in points with 11, while Frederick Gaudreau leads in goals with seven. Matty Beniers averages 0.50 points per game and logs the most ice time among Kraken forwards at 17:43. Chandler Stephenson, a natural center playing wing, leads the squad with 12 points in 14 games.

Wood provides the Kraken with a natural winger who can add size and secondary production. The former University of Connecticut star stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 202 pounds. He scored 17 goals and 30 points in his first full NHL season in 2025-26. His ability to use his frame to reach the net front fits the Kraken's offensive structure. Pairing Wood with playmakers like Beniers, Catton, Gaudreau, and Stephenson, along with puck-moving defensemen Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour, creates a path for him to reach the 20-goal benchmark.

This trade follows other major roster moves earlier in the season. The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets exchanged six players on Sept. 28, sending Kirill Marchenko to Toronto and Matthew Knies to Columbus. On Oct. 23, the New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets. The Hellebuyck deal included forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, and two future draft picks.

The Devils entered the Hellebuyck trade in the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot despite holding strong defensive metrics. They allowed the second-fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes. However, their goaltending ranked 13th in save percentage. Winnipeg, which traded Hellebuyck, ranks 25th in goals per game at 2.60. The Jets received Mercer, who has scored 20 goals in a season three times, as a key offensive addition to alleviate scoring pressure from Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele.