The Wright move for the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks will start the season without their best player, as Connor Bedard’s recovery from shoulder surgery will keep him out of the lineup until November. This is a team that can ill afford a slow start to the season, and not having Bedard makes that task even harder. On the bright side, the team will have all of training camp to find the right combinations and game plans, unlike last December when Bedard missed 12 games.

However, with October being a crucial month for the Blackhawks and their goal of contending for a playoff spot, will that force general manager Kyle Davidson to make a move before the season starts? That doesn’t feel like a move that he typically makes. Davidson has preached how he believes in his young core, and this is the chance for them to prove him right. However, looking at the roster with its gaping hole should make even the most patient executive act.

Reunions Are Fun, But…

The chatter about Patrick Kane returning to the Blackhawks has been getting louder. It feels like people are just connecting the dots, but enough trusted insiders (and some not-so-trusted) are starting to say it’s a possibility. While bringing Kane back isn’t the worst idea, it just doesn’t make much sense in the big picture. It also feels more like a move from the John McDonough/Stan Bowman era.

Kane has been productive since leaving Chicago. He had 57 goals and 163 points in his 189 games for the Detroit Red Wings. His durability is becoming a factor, as he has missed 57 games over the past three seasons. While he will give the Blackhawks an immediate boost and help take some pressure off the younger players in the lineup, there is a better long-term addition to be made.

The Wright Stuff

I’ve felt that acquiring Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken makes perfect sense for the Blackhawks even before Bedard got hurt. Now, with a need for another center, it's an even better fit. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the Kraken have “agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young center.”

I can hear you saying it. “But, Greg, the Blackhawks have a lot of young centers already.” Sure. There are Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, Ryan Green, and Oliver Moore. All guys who can play center but haven’t established themselves as full-time centers. Wright is a true center who could not only fill in for Bedard but also anchor a line for years to come.

Wright has struggled to find a place in Seattle after being the fourth-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He had an impressive rookie season in the AHL with 22 goals and 47 points, then put up 19 goals and 44 points in his first full NHL season. The production dipped last season with only 12 goals and 27 points. The Kraken have done him no favors, as they don’t seem to have a crystal-clear plan. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to build a contender? Once you think you've pegged their philosophy, they go out and try to trade for Jason Robertson.

No Such Thing as Too Much Center Depth

So if you bring in Wright, what happens when Bedard returns? Wright stays down the middle. We still don’t know if Frondell or Nazar are career-long centers. Personally, I think Nazar should play the wing, and having Wright allows you to do that. And let’s face facts: can we trust Bedard to be a center for the rest of his career? This will be the third out of his four NHL seasons in which he’ll miss significant time. Now, only one of those three injuries was directly caused by playing center, but having a star player with durability issues take the beating that comes with playing center might not be the wisest move going forward.

I’d imagine the cost for Wrist isn’t overly expensive. Let’s face it: despite the high expectations he entered the league with, he is likely to be a middle-six center rather than the top-end player he was drafted to be. The Kraken will have plenty of suitors for his services, so that will drive up the asking price.

The New Jersey Devils should be a team in the mix for Wright. They are searching for a second-line center after the Utah Mammoth matched their offer sheet for Barrett Hayton. The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the lookout for young talent, so they are likely in the mix, too. Don’t rule out the Philadelphia Flyers, who took the biggest swing of the offseason with the Leo Carlsson offer sheet.

Entering a Bidding War

The Blackhawks have an arsenal of trade chips and should be able to outbid any other team in the mix. One of those extra first-round picks in next year’s draft plus a mid-round pick could be enough to get a deal done, but it will depend on what else is being offered.

A trade for Wright makes a ton of sense for the Blackhawks, and not just while Bedard is on the shelf. He is signed for one more season before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. This gives you a full year to figure out where he fits in your plan. If the change of scenery does him good and he starts to look like the player many thought he’d be, you now have another foundational piece to your core. This would allow you to move some of your other young prospects for more immediate needs.

Davidson always says that a deal has to make sense for him to make it. This one is too easy. Make the deal.

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