Investigating the ‘curious’ potential market for Ryan Shea
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 29: Ryan Shea #5 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG PAINTS Arena on January 29, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images Ryan Shea is such an unassuming player on the ice that in a way it’s sadly fitting that his breakout season has been overshadowed by multiple teammates taking up more of the spotlight. The Penguins have gotten plenty of positive surprises this season, starting with 18-year old Ben Kindel’s steady amazing play.
Add in a career year out of nowhere from Anthony Mantha, a career year for Justin Brazeau, Evgeni Malkin’s resurgence, Egor Chinakhov’s emergence and Parker Wotherspoon bursting onto the scene and it takes a while to get down to good ol’ Ryan Shea getting some attention for taking a huge step forward in 2025-26, where he’s not only become a lineup regular and closing in on 30 points but also starting to receive some credit for it. Shea even got a mention in Elliotte Friedman’s last 32 Thoughts : Most of the free-agent blue-liner talk is about Darren Raddysh, for very good reason. Excellent timing — 17 goals and 58 points as he needs a new contract.
His numbers aren’t as sexy, but I’m very curious to see how the market reacts to another potential free agent, Pittsburgh’s Ryan Shea. Just turned 29, having a strong season, featuring a career-high 28 points and more responsibility than ever. Tampa is very disciplined from a contract perspective.
The Penguins played last summer very intelligently. You know one of my sayings: Don’t fool around with happy. But will [Raddish and Shea’s] best offers be where they are?
Friedman’s curiosity will be shared by many, it’ll be interesting to see where future contract projections come in for Shea. He’s popped some production, averaged 19 minutes this season and has a pretty impressive profile. Shea isn’t particularly adept at preventing possession zone entries or denying zone entries, but he’s among the best players in the league this season at exiting the zone himself.
Continue to the original source for the full article.