After it was reported earlier this month that 22-year-old Seattle Kraken centreman Shane Wright is available on the trade market, the 2022 fourth-overall pick has become a name to watch this summer. With the Vancouver Canucks heading into a rebuild, 22-year-olds like Wright are the kind of players that should intrigue the organization.

On Thursday, Donnie and Dhali – The Team‘s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the Canucks are interested in Wright, but the ask from Seattle was high. Dhaliwal speculated that the Kraken would be after either Zeev Buium or Tom Willander as part of the return.

Projected as the first overall pick in 2022, Wright wound up falling to the Kraken at fourth overall. This past season, Wright had 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games in Seattle. The year prior, he had 19 goals and 44 points. Wright is now entering the third and final year of his entry-level agreement, with a cap hit of $886k. He is set to become an RFA next summer, meaning that whichever team acquires him would have exclusive rights to sign him to an extension.

Meanwhile, defencemen Buium and Willander are both coming off their rookie years. Buium was originally acquired by the Canucks as part of the deal that saw Quinn Hughes go to the Minnesota Wild last December. The 20-year-old was selected 12th overall by the Wild in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. In 45 games with the Canucks, he had three goals and nine assists, averaging 20:21 TOI/game. Between Minnesota and Vancouver, he registered 26 points total in his rookie year across 76 appearances. Willander was drafted 11th overall by the Canucks in 2023. He tallied five goals and 16 assists in 70 games played this season.