C Shane Wright (2022, 4th, SEA) Part 4

[Corso]

Remember when people said his upside was a 2C? Good times

I still see that type of upside. I could be totally wrong, but he still hasn't proven a 1C track yet.

 

[Hugh Mongusbig]

While his engagement has improved to an adequate NHL level, I wouldn't expect a real breakout until he takes a lot more shots.

Totally agree.

He now has 29 points in 52 games. .558 ppg.

He absolutely needs to shoot the puck more. a lot more.
He's only taken 52 shots on net, in 52 games.
avg 1 shot per game.
his S% is currently over 21%, which likely isn't sustainable...
he's going to have to increase his shot output just to keep this current pace.

 

[Voight]

Remember when people said his upside was a 2C? Good times

He's 21 years old. Give the kid time.

 

[Ryan Van Horne]

How long until a Habs fan comes in to talk about their guy? I give it two hours, tops. If it takes longer than that, they're slipping -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this regard.

 

[Nicko999]

How long until a Habs fan comes in to talk about their guy? I give it two hours, tops. If it takes longer than that, they're slipping -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this regard.

Considering Wright and Slafkovsky have the same number of pts this season, I don't think anyone will come in and talk about their guy.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

He's 21 years old. Give the kid time.

Yeah he's 21, I meant he absolutely has 1C upside and those who labelled him a 2C at best were completely out to lunch

I still see that type of upside. I could be totally wrong, but he still hasn't proven a 1C track yet.

He's absolutely tracking to be a 1C

 

[OilersFanatics505]

Considering Wright and Slafkovsky have the same number of pts this season, I don't think anyone will come in and talk about their guy.

It’s funny that you think that will stop them. They will find some way to spin it.

 

[JoeThorntonsRooster]

Yeah he's 21, I meant he absolutely has 1C upside and those who labelled him a 2C at best were completely out to lunch


He's absolutely tracking to be a 1C

What legit 1Cs were unable to exceed 1 shot per game in their D+3 season?

I’m sure you can find a few, but it’s well outside the norm. Looking at NHL Network’s top 20 centers, Hintz (who wasn’t in the NHL) is the only guy who failed to do so. JT Miller and Robert Thomas were only a little over 1 shot per game, but everybody else was very close to or above 2 in their D+3.

The lack of shot volume is Wright’s biggest red flag but you could probably repeat this exercise with any metric. Legit 1Cs usually show way more at his age than he has so far.

 

[Voight]

Yeah he's 21, I meant he absolutely has 1C upside and those who labelled him a 2C at best were completely out to lunch


He's absolutely tracking to be a 1C

Ahh wasn't sure if your comment was coming from a negative or positive view.

 

[BKarchitect]

We can debate all day what a “legit #1C” is to convolute this discussion even further. Considering there are certainly not 32 of them by most people’s standards and JTM, Hintz, and Thomas are arguably 3 of the top 15 centers in the league - I’m not sure pointing those 3 out as exceptions and saying “see there’s virtually no chance Wright can be a 1C because his shot totals at age 20 in bottom six minutes are so low” is quite the mathematical oddity or ceiling cap it’s being made out to be. Miller scored 3 goals in 30 games at Wright’s age so this is certainly not some bulletproof methodology here.

He’s looking like a very solid #4 overall pick who is trending in the right direction after a bit of stutter in a not unusual non-linear development path. Whether that leads to “true #1 C level” by any random person’s definition or he tops out as a really effective 2C or just generally good “top six center” certainly yet to be discovered.

But as a skeptic of his, I’ve been pretty impressed. Not like “blown away”…but he’s looking better and better.