Seattle Conditions
☼
Sunrise 5:18am · Sunset 9:10pm
☰
Tides: Next: Low 3.9 ft at 4:26 PM
●
AQI 49 — Good
◆
No quakes M4.5+ in last 24h
Seattle Sports
8th in Western Conference Division
WIN Storm 82 at Sparks 64 Yesterday11th in NWSL
LOSS Seattle 1 at North Carolina 3 Sat, Jul 4Latest News
Updated 6 minutes ago
Capitol Hill Seattle
City Cast Seattle
Daily Journal of Commerce
Davy Jones Locker Room
Eater Seattle
Field Gulls
Fremont Neighbor
GeekWire
KUOW Seattle Now
Lookout Landing
My Ballard
NW Asian Weekly
NW Progressive Institute
On Montlake
Phinney Wood
PubliCola
Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle Gay News
Seattle Medium
Seattle Met
Seattle Transit Blog
Seattle Weekly
Sounder at Heart
South Seattle Emerald
The Needling
The North American Post
The Seattle Times
The Stranger
The Urbanist
West Seattle Blog
Westside Seattle
Davy Jones Locker Room
about 1 hour
Shane Wright wants out, and his development is the key to why
Elliote Friedman of SportsNet revealed in a bombshell that the Kraken were once again exploring all options with Center Shane Wright, as according to Wright’s Agent that he could “…confirm that we have had positive conversations with GM Jason Botterill, and he has agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young centre,” This of course, set off a brand new wave of discourse around the Kraken, Shane Wright, and how we got to this point. So…let’s review. On July 7th, 2022, the Seattle Kraken had a potential franchise forward fall in their lap. Throughout the entire season leading up to that moment, forward Shane Wright was predicted to go 1st overall. When it was Montreal’s time to choose, they selected Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovský. To the surprise of many, Wright would continue to slide down the draft order after New Jersey and Arizona opted for other players. All of a sudden, Seattle had a no-brainer decision to make – they selected Shane Wright at 4th overall. Fans rejoiced at the result, knowing that Seattle was blessed with a rare talent. The next decision was also a no-brainer: Send Wright back to the OHL for a year. He lost a year of ice time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and his size made him not quite ready to step onto the NHL ice just yet. Front office faced an interesting situation: Wright was too good for the OHL, but too young to play in the AHL – so, how can they develop him? Instead of putting him in the lineup, they decided to keep him as a healthy scratch, allowing him to practice with the team. While I can get behind this decision, we all know this is not a good long-term solution. Players need to play the game – not just practice. By Christmas, Wright was sent back to the OHL, where he scored 37 points in just 20 games. Another move that I can get behind – this gave him the opportunity to play in the World Junior Hockey Championship, where he was the captain of Team Canada. After that season ended, the development path improved. Because the CHL season ended, Wright was eligible to play for Coachella Valley in the AHL – and helped them in their deep playoff run, playing in all 24 games and gaining a good amount of time with the coaches. He was finally able to play with professionals instead of amateurs. In the 2023-24 season, the Kraken were able to qualify for an exceptional age ruling – allowing Wright to play for Coachella Valley even though he wasn’t 20 years old. This proved beneficial yet again; Wright scored 22 goals and 47 points in 59 games. They called him up to the NHL for 8 games, where he scored 4 times, while averaging 13:32 minutes per game. He was scoring at a pace of 41 goals a season – not bad, right? To this point, management had done about all they could do while handling him with kid gloves. Wright had shown he was NHL-ready – he was performing at every level, and the results were showing. In 2024, he cracked the team’s roster, where he went on to score 19 goals in 79 games – while averaging 14 minutes of ice time per game. His 2025-26 season saw some setbacks, with him scoring 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games, while averaging 13:48 minutes per game. This had some fans questioning whether Wright was truly NHL-ready – or if he was a bust. And now we’re here. Likely seeing the last offseason of Shane Wright in a Kraken Uniform. In my opinion, it is not Wright’s fault at all – and here is why: What Brought Us Here 1) Coaching consistencies…or lack thereof. In the 3 years that Wright played in the NHL, he had 3 different head coaches. Between all levels of hockey, he has played for 7 different head coaches since being drafted. His most successful professional season was with Dan Bylsma at the helm – both while Wright played for Coachella and the Kraken. Once the Kraken fired Bylsma (after just one season, when he was given a subpar roster to begin with – but that is a conversation for another day), they brought in current head coach Lane Lambert. Lambert’s style of coaching did not seem to fit Wright’s style of play, resulting in a decrease in stats. Instead of working with Wright and giving him an opportunity, Lambert decided to leave him to his own devices – and work with Coach Jessica Campbell on the possession side of his game, allowing his skillset to develop under her tutelage. This offseason, the Kraken and Campbell parted ways – which of course means yet another coach for Wright. I have never seen a player go through so many personnel changes in such a short amount of time – and it clearly has played a role in his development; without a consistent style and desire for his game to take shape, he’s stuck. 2) A player’s salary should not equate to ice time…and yet! After the 2023-24 season ended, the Kraken decided they wanted to prioritize faceoff skills and handed free agent Chandler Stephenson a 7-year contract at a $6.25 million cap hit. While on paper this move made sense; Stephenson had won 2 Stanley Cups, and 52% of his faceoffs throughout his career…the reality is that this move directly affected the goal production of the team. Stephenson has scored 20 goals only once in a season – and only 118 goals in his 653-game career thus far. In the first season of his Kraken tenure, Stephenson scored 13 goals while averaging 19:31 minutes of ice time. Meanwhile, Shane Wright scored 19 goals while averaging just 14:04 minutes. Why have a 19-goal scorer sit on the bench while your 13-goal scorer hogs the ice? This is surely not a winning recipe. This also was not an isolated situation: this same pattern continued into the 2025-26 season. Stephenson scored 16 goals while averaging 19:23 – while Wright scored 12 goals with just 13:48 minutes of ice time. The reality is that you should play the players who will give you the best on-ice production – not the players who cost you the most. 3) Chemistry takes time, and he wasn’t given any. Wright had the most success during a time when he was on the same line as Eeli Tolvanen – who is no longer on the active roster, as management has opted to not discuss a new contract with him. Over the last two seasons, Wright has not experienced consistent linemates much at all – he has played with Eberle, McCann, Tolvanen, Kakko, Bjorkstrand, etc. It is difficult for a player to feel supported in development with linemate chemistry if the lines constantly change. To give you an idea of where Wright is, he has played significant minutes with just about every single player in the Top 9. And this is just this year! | Hockeyviz.com At the end of the day, yes, Wright is being paid a nice wage to play a team sport with a lot of changing on the fly, so he should be able to step out there and perform. But – management and ownership should actually give him opportunities to succeed. The facts are there – his lack of consistency in coaching, linemates, and ice time are all direct factors that affect a player’s stat line. I do not blame Wright for looking for a new home – if I were experiencing the lack of direction and consistency in the prime developing years of my career, I would look for a new employer, too. While GM Botterill has said that he will trade Wright, my honest hope is that management gives Wright an opportunity in a top-6 role consistently with players like Kappo Kakko and new acquisition Mackie Samoskevich and see what happens. I think fans and ownership will be surprised if they’re willing to just let this kid finally, finally find himself in this sweater.
South Seattle Emerald
about 8 hours
Penalties Loom for Washington if State Doesn’t Improve Food Stamp Error Rates
As Washington works to reduce food stamp payment errors, advocates warn new federal rules could make it harder for thousands to keep benefits.
KUOW Seattle Now
about 10 hours
Seattle's hot dog underdog wins national spotlight
Picture it. You’re out late at the Mariners game, and as soon as you exit the stadium… The smell hits you. Hot dogs and grilled onions. Add a slather of cream cheese, and you’ve got a Seattle Dog. No matter how you feel about the quirky combo, the New York Times just crowned the Seattle Dog the best regional hot dog in the country. Seattle Times Food Reporter Tan Vinh is here to tell us more. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
KUOW Seattle Now
about 23 hours
Monday Evening Headlines
Seattle is hosting our last World Cup match in 2026, Big Tech in Seattle is continuing layoffs, and the Seattle-area is seeing an increase in ICE arrests. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
South Seattle Emerald
1 day
Kayla Floyd Is Ready to Punch Her Ticket to National Boxing Glory
At Reign City Athletics, Kayla Floyd trains for a bigger stage as Seattle's changing neighborhoods test the boxing community that raised her.
KUOW Seattle Now
1 day
USA Men's Soccer spotlights patriotism in Seattle
USA Men's Soccer returns to Seattle for a second stop, right after the 4th of July. As Seattle feels the joy of an international gathering, how do sports intersect with our city's politics, and our national identity, in the current political moment? We’ll hear from the director of the UW Global Sport Lab. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
South Seattle Emerald
2 days
DOOM LOOP: Residents for Thoughtful Growth
A concerned neighbor conducts thought experiments.
South Seattle Emerald
3 days
The Roundup: The World Cup Bump That Wasn't
In this week's edition of The Roundup, Mike Davis talks to reporter Maya Tizon to ask about the expectations — and reality — of how the World Cup impacted businesses in the Chinatown-International District.
KUOW Seattle Now
3 days
Weekend Listen: 4th graders in Tukwilia celebrate the end of school after a difficult year for immigrant students, 5 years after a deadly heat dome in the Northwest people prepare for increasingly hot summers, and Thousands in Oregon have turned old cars and trash collection into an annual game called the Gambler 500
Today, we’re bringing you the best from the KUOW newsroom. In Tukwila, a class of fourth graders ended the school year with a big, public art show full of mixed emotions. The school is a hub for new immigrant students, and the artwork celebrates some of their journeys. As KUOW’s Gustavo Sagrero reports, the show came at the end of a tough year, as immigration enforcement took a toll on this classroom. It’s been five years since a record-shattering heat wave hit the Northwest, killing an estimated twelve-hundred people. As the world’s climate keeps warming, we can expect more heat—and more deaths. John Ryan looks at efforts to make our next heat wave less deadly. Road trash cleanup often involves people along a highway in orange vests with those little grabbers and plastic bags. But in Oregon, there’s an annual trash pickup event that’s more like a party. Thousands of people come together to drive hundreds of miles of forest service roads picking up trash by day and camping out with live music and fun at night. Matt Martin was there last weekend. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
South Seattle Emerald
4 days
Mayor Says City Will Address Public Safety in Little Saigon, North Beacon Hill for 'As Long as It's Needed'
In an exclusive, Mayor Katie Wilson goes into greater detail on her plan to address the area's public safety issues.
South Seattle Emerald
4 days
'This Room Is Ours' Brings Black Figurative Art to King Street Station
From levitating sculptures to house-party paintings, "This Room Is Ours" spotlights Seattle Black artists expanding how the Black figure is seen in contemporary art.
KUOW Seattle Now
4 days
As everything gets more expensive, is Costco the secret to savings?
Today we're bringing you an episode from our friends at KUOW's data podcast Control F. We’re heading into a long holiday weekend. If you’re taking a road trip, you’ll need to fill up the gas tank, maybe even get some new tires. For a longer journey, a rental car can be helpful. Don’t forget to pick up toiletries and refill your prescriptions. If you’re in town hosting grab some extra lawn chairs for the guests. You can get all of this at Costco – along with your groceries. Conventional wisdom is that Costco is a good deal. But grocery prices are up. Grocery inflation is up 27 percent in the last 5 years following pandemic supply chain disruptions and international turmoil. So, will shopping at our local bulk retailer Costco save you some money this holiday? We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.