The Edmonton Oilers are preparing for life without Darnell Nurse on the blue line, and that means there’s a spot open in the top four next to Connor Murphy on the second pairing.

If we’re simply going by logic and players’ salaries, the Oilers’ top four should be:

Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman – Connor Murphy

Looking at that second pairing, I certainly hope this is how things shake out, considering Walman’s seven-year, $7 million average annual value (AAV) contract kicks in this season. He’s paid like a top-four blueliner and, on paper, should be the one playing with Murphy in 2026-27.

But this is where I’m going to get a little bold. Walman may have the inside track to play alongside Murphy, but there’s a wildcard blueliner who could be in the mix, and I’m predicting Ryan Shea works his way into the second-pairing role over Walman this season.

Shea’s hockey career has steadily trended upward

To start, one of the reasons Shea could find himself on the second pairing is simple, and that’s by default if Walman can’t stay healthy, having missed 29 games last season due to injuries. Fingers are crossed ever so tightly that he can play a full season, but Shea gives the Oilers some good insurance if he can’t.

But let’s take health reasons out of the scenario for now. At 29 years old, Shea is your prototypical late bloomer, but his hockey career has steadily trended upward. Based on his trajectory alone, it’s not out of the question that he could just naturally work his way onto the second pairing. To understand why that’s a possibility, let’s take a look at how he got here.

Shea played four seasons at Northeastern University, where he finished his NCAA career as captain of the Huskies and was called “one of the best defencemen and captains in Northeastern history” by his coach. In his final season, the blueliner led his team to its third straight Beanpot championship and a Belpot championship in 2019-20, where he was named tournament MVP.

Northeastern Men’s Hockey

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