This year’s NHL Free Agency day was a busy one for the Edmonton Oilers, as it saw the team significantly restructure the outline of their back end.

The first major move was finally parting ways with Darnell Nurse’s nine-million-dollar contract, trading his full cap hit to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for 24-year-old defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and defensive prospect Zack Sharp. Shortly after, the Oilers used a substantial portion of the cap space freed from the Nurse trade to sign free agent defenceman Ryan Shea to a five‑year contract carrying a four‑million‑dollar AAV. This article will focus on Shea and what he may bring to Edmonton. 

Shea has had a rather unique career. The 29-year-old left-shot defenseman from Milton, Mass., was drafted by current Oilers GM Stan Bowman in Chicago in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He spent four consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2020 playing college hockey with Northeastern University in the NCAA. Following his tenure with Northeastern, Shea signed with the Dallas Stars as a free agent, spending the next three years with Dallas’ AHL affiliate with the Texas Stars. 

Shea would then sign a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, 2023 – exactly three years ago from yesterday – and his first NHL stint would come in the 2023-24 season at the age of 26. His breakout season came in 2025-26 at the age of 29, as he averaged top-four minutes for the Penguins, produced 35 points, and even led the team with a 22 on-ice goal differential at even strength.

So, what type of player is Ryan Shea? Where does he fit in Edmonton’s lineup? And can he realistically represent an upgrade over Darnell Nurse? This piece will attempt to answer those questions and more.

What do the analytics say about Ryan Shea’s puck-moving ability?

Shea’s most noteworthy attribute is his ability to exit the defensive zone with possession and control.

The primary public source for defensive zone exit data is Corey Sznajder’s microstat tracking project at AllThreeZones, which I highly recommend checking out. Here is what Sznajder’s metrics have to say about Shea’s ability to move the puck out of his own end over the past two seasons:

Shea has averaged 12.1 zone exits per 60 over the past two seasons, ranking in the 88th percentile. In simpler terms, this means that his zone exit volume rate ranks superior to 88 percent of NHL defencemen. Furthermore, 67 percent of his exits have been with possession, as he averages a total of 8.1 exits with possession per 60, ranking at an even better 90th percentile. It’s worth noting that he ranks ahead of several well‑known, puck‑moving defencemen in this area, including Josh Morrissey and Thomas Chabot. 

Alongside his ability to complete zone exits with control, he also does not turn the puck over very frequently. Shea has averaged just 2.5 failed exits per hour, and his zone exit success rate is an excellent 83 percent, ranking at a superb 91st percentile. This is not a defenceman who defaults to glass‑and‑out when attempting to get the puck out of his zone; he consistently carries or passes the puck out with control and efficiency. 

Sznajder’s data align with a glimpse of proprietary data from SportLogIQ – a private analytics provider used by many NHL teams – referenced from this piece by Sportsnet. SportLogIQ’s numbers show that Shea’s completion rate on outlet passes ranked 32nd among 200 defencemen with a minimum of 40 games played, and his turnover rate ranked 29th. Very, very good. 

Let’s go over two video examples that illustrate these strengths.

This sequence begins with Shea breaking up a play in the defensive zone with his stick. Moments later, he makes a clean breakout pass off the boards to Ben Kindel, who springs Anthony Mantha for a breakaway goal. Shea earns the secondary assist. It’s a strong five‑man effort overall, but Shea’s defensive stick and composed outlet pass initiate the play.

Here’s another example. Following a retrieval by Kris Letang, Shea delivers a well‑timed stretch pass under forecheck pressure that leads directly to a breakout goal for Ben Kindel. Shea records the primary assist. 

Now, this is not a very flashy player. Don’t expect many Makar-esque highlight reel plays from him. Instead, Shea is a defenceman that is very good at making subtle, simple but highly effective outlet passes under pressure, the kinds of touches that consistently tilt the ice in a team’s favour. He is much better in this facet than Nurse ever was, who, contrastingly, ranks in the 47th percentile in possession exits.

How does Ryan Shea impact the Edmonton Oilers’........

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