Wright settling in, looking for first goal as Kraken regular

NASHVILLE — This time, Kraken center Shane Wright isn’t on thin ice. He’s working with more responsibility and more square footage in Seattle.

He made the Kraken’s opening night roster months after being drafted in 2022 but played few minutes and then none at all before eventually being returned to his junior team. He got twice as much playing time on opening night 2.0 and, instead of being downgraded, is playing with some of the Kraken’s top talent as coach Dan Bylsma slides his forwards around looking for good fits.

While 18 years old, Wright crashed at then-teammate Ryan Donato’s house. Now he’s putting down roots in Seattle at 20, just getting his own apartment.

“Just enjoying the life here,” Wright said. “The day-to-day grind, day-to-day business of playing here. Lots of learning, lots of growing. But it’s been fun.”

Fans got a peek at the flash the former fourth overall draft pick offers during the preseason, when he did a half-spin and smacked the puck into the net against the Edmonton Oilers, dazzling onlookers.

None have gone yet in four regular-season games, but Wright is doing many right things. He’s sniffing around the net, consistently putting himself in good scoring positions.

On Jordan Eberle’s first of two goals against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, Wright was in the pileup in front of the net and it easily could have been him shoving it over the goal line. Against Dallas in an uninspiring third period, he had one of the best opportunities from short range.

“Probably leading the way with chances, the shot on the rush there,” Bylsma said.

At even strength, he’s centered several line combinations and on Tuesday found himself in Matty Beniers’ old spot between captain Eberle and prolific scorer Jared McCann.

“Whoever I’m out there with, it’s going to be a good line,” Wright said. “It’s gonna be some smart hockey players.”

He didn’t register an assist Tuesday against the Nashville Predators but had a hand in Eberle’s momentum-changer. Wright chopped at the puck along the boards to keep it in the offensive zone, turning it right back around so McCann and Jamie Oleksiak could set up Eberle in the high slot. That goal, which made it a 5-3 score, allowed the Kraken to start pulling away for their second win of the season.

Wright was plus-2 with a shot block, a hit and two giveaways as the Kraken (2-2) rolled to a 7-3 victory.

He had spotty playing time with Eberle at the tail end of last season and they’re working on “rebuilding that chemistry.” With the Kraken fading out of playoff contention in April, he was recalled to gain some consequence-free experience. He scored four goals in five games.

He’s been put in a position to do more of that. He logs nightly power-play minutes on a unit that consists of Brandon Montour, Jaden Schwartz, Beniers and, finally, Eeli Tolvanen, who was reinserted on Tuesday against his former team. The Kraken have scored just once on their revamped power play on nine chances.

He’s working to improve a 39.1 faceoff win percentage. Young centers Wright and Beniers take rapid-fire draws in practices. They also compare notes about the next opponent and bounce ideas off each other.

“We talk about their centermen and what they do, their tendencies,” Wright said. “That is a huge part of the game for centermen. You want to be trusted taking draws and be able to win them.”

He’ll be given the leeway to keep working at it under the eye of a head coach who’s seen what he can do in the minors and has belief and faith. Eventually, one of these prime chances will translate to his first goal of the season.

Kraken 7, Predators 3

Notable: The Kraken’s (2-2) second win of the season was as stressful as their first with an even higher goal total, but at least they settled it in regulation on Tuesday. Seattle couldn’t hold on to a lead for long until the third period, when it put away the winless Nashville Predators. The Kraken head home after a 2-1 trip.

Ryker Evans, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brandon Tanev scored in the first period. Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann tallied in the third before Adam Larsson polished off an empty-netter.

Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn returned after missing one game with an upper-body injury and being labeled a game-time decision by coach Dan Bylsma. He was helpful in the first period, getting back in time to snuff out a Nashville breakaway and standing his ground while his foe circled, looking for a chance that got worse and worse.

Dunn was spun on the Predators’ first goal, but blocked a point-blank shot in the final seconds when the Kraken had just taken the momentum — and the scoreboard — back.

The Predators bulked up this past offseason, snagging several big-name free agents, including former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, previously of the Vegas Golden Knights. Nashville was one of the most surprising winless teams going into Tuesday’s tilt.

“Pretty talented up-front group,” Bylsma said before the game.

“They haven’t (gotten) to that success yet, but we’re expecting them to respond to where they’re at in the season as well. And we have the same opportunity.”

It wasn’t buzzy offseason acquisitions who erased the Kraken’s early 2-0 lead. Nashville’s Michael McCarron and Tommy Novak scored 2:13 apart. Tanev’s goal with 33 seconds left in the first gave Seattle the lead back heading into the first intermission. Nashville erased that lead in the second period.

Down three goals with little to lose, the Predators (0-3) pulled goaltender Juuse Saros with nearly five minutes remaining and Larsson eventually made them pay for that boldness.

Quotable: “Obviously good for the morale, good for the confidence. It’s a good win to look back on.” — center Chandler Stephenson (two assists)

Goal of the game: The Kraken finished off a 3-on-2 sequence to go up 4-3 in the third period. Schwartz shook loose up the middle and Bjorkstrand hit him with a pass. Schwartz put some smooth moves on Saros, got him to drop and put the puck over the Nashville goalie.

Star of the game: Joey Daccord made 31 saves, including back-to-back, point-blank stops on Filip Forsberg after the Predators tied the score at 3. One was a kick save, the other he barely caught with his shoulder. Daccord has been in net for both Kraken wins.

On tap: The Kraken return home for a five-game homestand that starts Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.