Why Nashville Traded Matthew Wood for Shane Wright

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators made their second in-season trade and the 10th trade in the new Team President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland's tenure by sending forward Matthew Wood to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Shane Wright.

It's a one-for-one swap of two young forwards who were each drafted in the first round of their respective NHL Drafts and each player is in the final year of their current contract becoming restricted free agents at the end of the 2026-27 season.

So why did Nashville make this trade to kick off the month of November?

Why Nashville Traded Away Matthew Wood

Wood, 21, was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft who played three seasons in the NCAA before joining the Predators roster in spring 2025. He played in six games at the end of the season in Nashville, before playing a full 71 games in 2025-26, scoring 17 goals and 30 points centering the second line with Filip Forsberg and Luke Evangelista.

He entered the 2026-27 season on the second line with Forsberg and Nils Höglander after MacFarland traded Evangelista to New Jersey for draft capital before the year began. Many expected Wood to break out for Nashville in his third season, but he underwhelmed instead. He scored one goal and three points in 14 games with Nashville this season and was even moved down a line to third center.

Wood wasn't drafted by MacFarland and didn't get his 2026-27 season off to a strong start. MacFarland brought in Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury, and Alexander Kerfoot this offseason and inherited KHL star Vitali Pinchuk as options at center, noting this summer the franchise's need to get stronger up the middle of the ice.

Trading Wood away after just a month of play this season affirms the urgency MacFarland wants the roster to feel. The team is actively undergoing remodeling, and the players must perform or become candidates to be moved.

Why Nashville Acquired Shane Wright

Wright, 22, was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Seattle Kraken. The Predators have focused on speed, and MacFarland noted that the acquisition adds pace to the lineup.

“We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards,” MacFarland said in a statement. “We feel he will bring a strong two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him.”

Things haven't quite panned out for Wright in Seattle. He played sporadically in 2022 with the Kraken before being sent to the AHL and then the OHL. He split time in the AHL again in 2023, before playing a full NHL season in 2024, scoring 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games. He had less of an impact in 2025-26, scoring 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games.

The forward has largely played as the Kraken's third right-winger this season and now gets a change of scenery to refresh his young career. Wright is a stronger two-way player with more NHL experience than Wood, and now MacFarland gets 70 games to see him up close and determine whether he's worth keeping in Nashville long-term.

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