Nashville is Headed in the Wright Direction After Wood Trade

On Sunday, Nov. 1, it was announced that Nashville had shipped out its promising young wing, Matthew Wood, in exchange for center Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken. The two forwards swapped teams in a straight-up one-for-one trade. So far, for Nashville, the move seems to be paying off.

While the change of scenery hasn't sparked a rampant scoring spree, Wright has emerged as a valuable contributor. He offers something the Predators have sorely lacked: energy. Wright has remained a spark plug, providing much-needed effort plays since joining Nashville. In his first week with the Predators, they are 3-0, making up the bulk of the team's season-best four-game winning streak.

Prior to the streak, Nashville was on the outside looking in for the wild card. Now, they are firmly within the playoff race and in the hunt for a bye.

It is already evident that the former first-round pick is a pivotal addition to Nashville's roster, and it seems like Nashville is exactly what Wright needed as well. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and the NHL Network provided more insight into the move during his appearance on the DVD Show on 102.5 The Game

"There were a lot of other teams that were looking for [Wright]," Friedman said. "He's a young right-shot center, and those are very hard to find."

Friedman delved into Wright's past and reminded listeners of Wright's prestige from a young age. He noted that Wright was well known in the hockey world as a very polished young player.

"At 16 years old, 17 years old, he was being spoken of as one of those elite number one picks," Friedman said. "He was physically more mature than a lot of other guys his age, but he was also a tremendously skilled player."

Wright, still just 22, is already on his second team after four seasons with the Kraken. Despite possessing all the skill necessary to be a star and showing promising signs throughout his time in Seattle, Friedman said, "It just didn't work the way everyone had hoped."

"[Seattle] knew he didn't want to be there anymore, and it was time," Friedman said. "The thing that made it take so long to happen is that they really wanted to get a good return for him."

Ultimately, Wood fit the bill, and the Kraken felt the return was worth it. He was the exact type of player they were looking for: a winger with size and scoring potential. Given the market, Friedman stated that Wood was going to be the best they could get.

Other teams had reportedly offered younger players in return for Wright. Friedman said some teams had made multiple draft picks available for the trade. Ultimately, the Wood-for-Wright exchange made the most sense.

While Wood's situation in Nashville wasn't a one-to-one comparison with Wright, it felt like a necessary separation. Wood has also shown strong scoring capabilities, and it appeared as though he would be part of the Predators' long-term plans. The hope was that he could make a jump this season in Nashville, but the frustrating start to the season made it apparent that a change was needed.

Not to say Wood was the sole culprit behind Nashville's lackluster offense, or that Wright is the sole reason for the sudden turnaround, but the move feels like a win-win for all parties involved.

Nashville is still rough around the edges, and the defense leaves much to be desired, but the current win streak gives Predators fans plenty to be excited about. Especially as the season nears the quarter-way point, we will see teams settle into form, and we will analyze exactly what kind of team Nashville is going to be.

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