Penguins Reward D Ryan Shea With Contract Extension

It a move that could get overshadowed with other NHL trade deadline maneuverings, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday evening that they have signed defenseman Ryan Shea to a one-year contract extension.

Shea had been scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency this summer. His new deal, which covers the 2025-26 season, has an AAV of $900,000. His expiring deal is a two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level.

Despite being a healthy scratch for stretches of games this season, Ryan Shea has seemed to be effective at times in the NHL, primarily as a third-pairing player until recently when he has moved up. The 28-year-old left-handed shot has three goals, three assists in 28 games with the Penguins this season, going into the team’s game at Vegas. Two goals and an assist have come in the past six games.

At his pregame meeting with reporters, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Shea, “Ryan’s played very well for us. You look at his play most recently, we’ve had him in the top four. He’s done a really good job for us. He competes hard. He plays the game with some moxie. If he makes a mistake, it doesn’t bother him. He moves by it. … He’s earned that contract. ”

Early last season, Shea, who is a solid 6 feet 1, 220 pounds, made his NHL debut with the Penguins after signing with them as a free agent the previous summer. He was a fourth-round draft pick by Chicago in 2015 but never signed with them. He spent three seasons with the Dallas Stars organization and got called up a couple times but did not get into an NHL game until he joined the Penguins. He split last season between the Penguins and their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.