Nurse Replacement?: Oilers Sign Ryan Shea to 5-Year Deal

The Edmonton Oilers traded Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks, then almost immediately added a different left-shot defenseman. Less than an hour after the Nurse trade became official, the Oilers signed Ryan Shea to a five-year, $4 million per season deal.

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The 29-year-old broke out with 35 points in his first full NHL season and it earned him a hefty contract. The Oilers, meanwhile, are banking on the idea that Shea has only scratched the surface of what he can do.

Shea most recently played with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s a Massachusetts native who played college hockey at Northeastern, went undrafted-turned-late-round (Chicago took him 121st overall in 2015), and spent time in the Dallas system before signing with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2023.

He was a late bloomer — a fringe/AHL depth guy for years before breaking through. This past season (2025-26) was his breakout: 35 points (6 goals, 29 assists) in 76 games, a team-best plus-30 rating, and he developed into a reliable penalty killer with strong positional awareness and two-way play.

Reports (Pierre LeBrun) suggested Pittsburgh wasn’t expected to make a competitive offer, and other projections had him getting something like a 3-4 year deal in the $3.4–4.3 million AAV range on the open market this summer — a big raise from his $900K prior salary.

For the Oilers, it’s a 60% discount off of what the team was paying Nurse.

The Oilers also released a statement that they signed Eduards Tralmaks to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $850K. He spent this past season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, apearing in 64 games and registering 26 goals and 42 points. He’s also a solid penalty killer.

Next: Oilers Trade Darnell Nurse to Sharks in Blockbuster Deal