The Daily Faceoff Show: Is Shane Wright’s draft status slipping?

As the Montreal Canadiens have fallen below the Arizona Coyotes and into dead last place in the NHL, there has started to be buzz that the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, center Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs, will end up wearing le bleu-blanc-rouge.

But is it possible that Shane Wright won’t even by the No. 1 overall pick.

Wright’s 31 points (12G, 19A) in 25 games in Kingston are, without doubt, impressive. But when you factor in that these numbers pale in comparison to the 66 points he put up in 58 games two years ago as a 15-year-old, as well as the fact that the cancelled 2020-21 OHL season cost him a year of development, and it begs the questions as to whether Wright is trending in the right direction.

Speaking on Friday’s episode of The Daily Faceoff Show, Chris Peters weighed in on Wright’s most recent performance and if he should still be regarded as the top draft-eligible prospect heading into this summer.

Peters: “Really, as you talk to scouts around the league and as you look at some of the public lists that have come out in the last few – and mine will be out next week on Daily Faceoff. There’s at least some conversation, that hey, maybe it’s not as safe [Wright’s ranking] as we thought it was before.

“I think the bar was set so astronomically high by his exceptional season in the OHL, then he didn’t play anywhere last year, so that’s a lost year of development. He played in the World U-18 Championships, he was exceptional there, playing through illness and injury.

“So, we go Ok, maybe that year didn’t affect him. Well now we’re seeing this season, the numbers aren’t as good as they were in his 15-year-old season, which is definitely something that you worry about. He’s not even the top point producer for this draft-eligible season in the OHL. When you see that happening, when you see a guy who has proven it before, you say, OK is he taking step backwards?

“We always poke holes in these top guys and try to create drama and things like that. But this is a year where I actually feel like there’s some merit to it. That he has not lived up to expectations. And maybe he’s a victim of too lofty expectations.

“But really what it comes down to, no one else has officially taken his place. No one has raised their hand and said they’re the better prospect. And so that’s why we still, based on the whole body of work and everything we know about Shane Wright, we still have him as No. 1.”

You can watch the full episode here…