More bad news for Habs fans as some exciting Shane Wright news drops; meanwhile, Slafkovsky appears AHL-bound
It's obviously a developing situation and there's still time for things to change, but barring a catastrophic start, it would appear as though 2022 4th overall pick Shane Wright will play the entire 2022-23 NHL season, per Kraken GM Ron Francis.
Obviously, this is probably not music to the ears of Montreal Canadiens fans after 1st overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky has floundered in the preseason for the Habs. Granted, it's still early and it's far too soon to overreact, but it would appear as though Wright is the more NHL-ready player at this point in time.
"I don't want to draw a line in the sand, but I would think he's with us for the year. It's just a matter of how things go and managing it. But I think he'll be fine. He's fit right in. He does a lot of good things.
"Him coming to us in Seattle is going to be good for him. It will give him time to develop and mature as a player; get stronger. He's still only 18 years old.
"There's a lot of progression in front of him. But I'm really pleased with what we see. He thinks the game well. He sees the game at a high level. His hands are extremely quick. He sees the right play."
-Ron Francis on Shane Wright
It's unclear at this point exactly where Wright will play, but it's likely that the Kraken either utilize him on the wing to start, before gradually transitioning him back over to center. If that isn't the case, Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol could shift Yanni Gourde back over to the wing and play Wright as the team's #2C, right behind 2021 2nd overall pick Matty Beniers, who should take on #1C duties this season.
POLL |
OCTOBRE 5 | 2129 ANSWERS More bad news for Habs fans as some exciting Shane Wright news drops; meanwhile, Slafkovsky appears AHL-bound Did the Habs make a huge mistake taking Juraj Slafkovsky over Shane Wright? |
Yes | 1011 | 47.5 % |
No | 562 | 26.4 % |
We won't know for a couple of years | 556 | 26.1 % |
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