When the Montreal Canadiens passed on Shane Wright to select Juraj Slafkovský with the No. 1 overall pick, it was a mild surprise.
While Wright had been the favorite to be the top pick, there was not a consensus that he was a slam-dunk to go first. In recent weeks the possibility of Slafkovský started to gain steam. But when the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes also passed on him to select Šimon Nemec and Logan Cooley respectively, it was an absolute stunner.
Wright’s surprising fall finally came to an end when he was selected by the Seattle Kraken with the No. 4 overall pick.
[Related: Canadiens select Juraj Slafkovský with No. 1 overall pick in chaotic first round]
The Kraken have to be ecstatic to get a player with Wright’s potential at that spot, while it also gives Seattle a potential dynamic 1-2 punch down the middle with Wright and 2021 No. 2 overall pick Matty Beniers.
Seattle’s first year in the league did not go as hoped as it finished with one of the league’s worst records. That was followed up with no luck in the draft lottery. That luck finally started to change a little bit on Thursday with Wright falling right into their lap.
Wright is the top-center in the draft and has the most star potential of any player that was available. The Kraken are still a long way from competing based on what we saw a year ago, but Wright and Beniers is a great foundation to build from in the years ahead.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.