The Montreal Canadiens are unlikely to target one of the top young centers in the trade market. There is no secret that Montreal general manager Kent Hughes wants to bring in one more quality forward. The Canadiens have several star players in these positions, but need to strengthen their second line. With a thin free agency market, Hughes is expected to land a new forward via trade.
One player to be heavily linked with a move to Montreal is Shane Wright. The Seattle Kraken star is looking for a new team after taking a step back during the most recent season. Nevertheless, NHL insider Marco D’Amico is now claiming that the Canadiens are unlikely to acquire Wright in the coming weeks. The reporter made the revelation during the July 20th episode of The Starr & D’Amico Show.
According to D’Amico, Montreal’s stance regarding the Kraken star comes down to two specific reasons. First of all, the Canadiens are not interested in reclamation projects. Instead, Hughes is eyeing sure bets (or at least as close to this as possible). Secondly, the Montreal Canadiens have their future 2C waiting in the wings with Michael Hage.
“I saw a lot of people look at Shane Wright,” said D’Amico. “I don’t think that Shane Wright would fit with what Montreal is building… If you’re just looking at the player in a vacuum, I understand. But overall, I don’t necessarily think it will work out because the same frustrations that he has right now in Seattle will show up in Montreal the moment Michael Hage makes the jump to the NHL.”
Montreal Canadiens Likely View Shane Wright as Too Risky of a Target
GettyKraken star Shane Wright is unlikely to join the Montreal Canadiens.
Interestingly enough, the Montreal Canadiens previously passed on Wright at the 2022 NHL draft. With the first-overall pick that year, Hughes and Co. opted to select Juraj Slafkovsky even though Wright was widely viewed as the top prospect. The decision, however, has worked out well for the Canadiens. Slafkovsky is coming off of a 73-point campaign and already has 184 total NHL points at the age of 22.
Wright, on the other hand, dipped down to 27 points in 2025-26 and has posted just 78 total points in the NHL during the same timeframe. As D’Amico hints, there is a reason why Hughes passed on the current Kraken center four years ago. Because the forward is coming off a down year, the Canadiens are unlikely to pursue the risky deal. This is especially the case considering Seattle’s reported high asking price.
Montreal’s Future 2C Could Make Debut Next Spring
It was recently revealed that the Montreal Canadiens are also likely out of the running in the Elias Pettersson sweepstakes. Much like with Wright, Pettersson is also considered a reclamation project. Instead of targeting one of these risky deals, the Canadiens want to know exactly what they are getting. Hughes wants a sure thing so that they can eventually implement Hage into the lineup without any hiccups.
Montreal’s top forward prospect has decided to return to the University of Michigan for one more season. Hage, however, could make his Canadiens debut as early as April 2027. Because Hughes has the budding star on the sidelines, he can be patient with his trade targets this summer.
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