Once Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks, the floodgates opened, and with his $9.25 million cap hit cleared, the Edmonton Oilers made their biggest move on day one of free agency by signing defenceman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million contract.

Shea played 39 games in 2024-25 before breaking out with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, appearing in a career-high 80 games and averaging 18:53 of ice time per night.

Reflecting on his growth as a late bloomer last December, the 29-year-old credited an offseason focused on getting stronger, but noted that confidence was a key factor in his growth. He said, “You just get comfortable, and when you’re comfortable, it’s easy to get more confident and build on your game.”

That confidence was evident throughout the 2025-26 season, as Shea posted a career-high 35 points and led the Penguins with a 30 rating.

That said, I’d imagine his confidence should be sky-high after signing the biggest contract of his career with the Oilers. If Shea can channel that confidence and build on his success from last season, below is what the Oilers should expect from their new blueliner.

Even-strength point production

All of Shea’s 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) last season came at even strength, which ranked 20th among all NHL defencemen. With his addition, the Oilers now have three blueliners who finished in the top 20 in even-strength points last season — Shea, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm.

The expectation moving forward for the D-man is to continue producing from the back end, and Shea noted that he prides himself on making a good first pass, saying on the “Oilers Now” show:

“Making the first available pass is probably my strong suit, I’m not afraid to use my back hand, I’m not afraid to go through the middle and when you got good support from the forwards, the number one thing from the D is to give it to them, especially on this team when you have the most elite type of forwards around, you want to give it to them as quick as possible.”

Shea’s........

© Oilers Nation