Within an hour of the Edmonton Oilers trading away a defenceman in Darnell Nurse, the team used some of that new cap space to sign another defender through free agency, Ryan Shea, to a five-year deal worth $4M a season.
Who is Ryan Shea?
Don’t be too worried if the name Ryan Shea doesn’t look very familiar to you. The 29-year-old has played just 150 NHL games over the last three seasons, with 80 of those games coming last year.
In those 80 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Shea scored six goals and 35 points. He also had a plus-minus of +30, almost double the next highest Penguin, Parker Wotherspoon, who had a +17. He was also tied for 19th in the entire NHL and 12th among defencemen.
It may seem a bit risky to give a long-term contract to a player with that little experience, but clearly the Oilers see this breakout season as a sign of things to come and not a flash in the pan.
Where does Ryan Shea fit into the Oilers lineup?
Following the departure of Darnell Nurse, the Oilers needed to find a way to replace the 20+ minutes a night the veteran defenceman ate up. Shea played over 18 minutes a night for Pittsburgh. However, that was also the sixth most on the team’s blueline, although that includes both Brett Kulak and Sam Girard, who were traded for each other, so it really is more like the 5th best.
With Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman on the left side already, Shea looks to slot in on the third line. He also likely becomes a fixture on the penalty kill, as he played 181:29 shorthanded last year, second on the Penguins. That is more than anyone on the Oilers by almost 35 minutes. Considering the Penguins had the 6th best penalty kill last year, that is definitely encouraging for an Oilers team that was 20th.
Between Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin, who was the return in the Nurse trade, the Oilers look to have a glut of NHL defencemen competing for the six spots.
Let us know your thoughts on the signing in the comments!
