Shea ‘not messing around,’ ready to help Oilers’ Stanley Cup pursuit

Ryan Shea is in a unique position to compare superstar centers Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. 

It’s been a hot topic of conversation for the 29-year-old defenseman since he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1 after three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I got a lot of text messages and calls, and probably 70 to 80 percent of it was people mentioning that,” Shea told NHL.com. “My dad said when it’s all said and done, I get to say I played with guys that will probably go down as the top guys to ever play the sport. It’s awesome, honestly.”

Shea, who signed a five-year, $20 million contract ($4 million average annual value) with the Oilers on July 1, said the opportunity to be teammates with McDavid after playing with Crosby was simply too enticing. 

“You get Sid that has been around the game for so long and he’s won (Stanley) Cups and done everything that you can do pretty much in the League, and being around him and learning from him and his leadership was incredible,” Shea said. “And now you’re going to be playing with probably the best player to put on skates (McDavid).

“The guys in Edmonton, Connor, Leon (Draisaitl) and (Zach) Hyman have already texted me and welcomed me, so it’s already starting, and you can see the kind of culture those guys have built there, and I’m just really excited for it.”

Shea had a breakout season with Pittsburgh, where he set career highs in goals (six), assists (29) and points (35) in 80 games and was a team-best plus-30.

Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2015 NHL Draft, it took Shea time to find his footing in the League. He played four seasons at Northeastern University and then three with Texas of the American Hockey League before signing with the Penguins. 

Shea split his time with Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL in 2023-24 before landing a full-time NHL role in 2024-25. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in 39 games for the Penguins that season. 

He was asked to take on a bigger role last season and met the challenge. 

“Personally, I knew what I could bring and I knew I had that type of play in me for a while,” Shea said. “It was about getting the right opportunity and confidence in myself to put it on the ice, day in and day out.

“I think it was just me finding that role in my game. I think Pittsburgh did a great job of giving me a role and I think everything has to be earned in this league, whether you make a certain number of dollars or have been in the League for a certain number of years. I like having that mindset because it teaches you that nothing can be taken for granted.”

Pittsburgh (41-25-16) finished second in the Metropolitan Division last season and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021-22. It lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference First Round in six games. 

Qualifying for the playoffs, however, came as a surprise to those who believed the Penguins were still retooling. 

“I think as a team we knew what we had in the room; we have those legendary players there and they kind of drove the bus for us,” Shea said. “Around the League and on social media, people did not expect us to do what we did, but we had the belief we had the team to get us to that point. I’m glad we did it because it proved a lot of people wrong and gave us a lot of confidence.”

This season, Shea will join a team expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. Edmonton was eliminated in the Western Conference First Round by the Anaheim Ducks in six games last season after reaching the Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, losing to the Florida Panthers each time. 

But the Oilers, who hired Mike Babcock as coach on June 23, still believe they are legitimate contenders. Shea is excited to be part of a group with such aspirations.

“I think from the start of free agency, this is the team me and my agent were talking to,” Shea said. “When he first told me Edmonton, my eyes lit up because after getting to the playoff for the first time in my career in Pittsburgh, it’s literally the best hockey and probably the funnest hockey I’ve ever played.

“Edmonton is known for their success, and they obviously have high-caliber players and they know how to win and know how to get to that point in the season, so I’m excited. As a competitor, all you want to do is win and battle it out for the best trophy.”

Shea will help take on the workload left behind by defenseman Darnell Nurse, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on July 1 after being a mainstay on the Oilers’ blue line for 11 seasons. Along with Shea, Edmonton has defensemen Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman, Connor Murphy, Mattias Ekholm, Spencer Stastney and Ty Emberson. 

Shakir Mukhamadullin will also vie for a roster spot after being acquired in the Nurse trade. The 24-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract ($1.75 million AAV) with Edmonton on July 5.

But Shea said he’s thrilled to have stability following three consecutive one-year contracts with Pittsburgh. 

“I’ve been taking one-year, two-year type of deals and just betting on myself, and it obviously it ended up going well because I believed in myself,” Shea said. “But this is a whole different animal. You’re going to be here for five years, and you have a chance to win the Cup and it’s about just getting in there, being a good teammate and performing on the ice, and I’m ready to do that. 

“You’re going into a new locker room, so you want to go into camp ready to go and show all the guys and the coaching staff that I’m not messing around.”