Shane Wright's hold on the top spot in the 2022 NHL Draft is slipping.
It's not that he hasn't played well this season. He's producing at the level of a top OHLer and leading all U18 players in the league by a significant margin, but his exceptional status coupled with a 39-goal rookie season have raised the bar so much higher than that.
Good isn't good enough for a player with his pedigree.
A more physically mature and experienced Wright was supposed to take over games this season. He was supposed to produce at a similar clip while expanding upon his base of strengths, like his off-puck play and his playmaking. Those improvements haven't occurred nearly quickly enough.
But Wright's draft year operates within a different context than that of previous candidates for the first overall pick. Whil