The Edmonton Oilers likely have to find a suitable Darnell Nurse replacement in the near future. At the moment, the veteran blueliner remains under contract for the next four seasons. His $9.25 million AAV salary is currently the fourth-highest on the team.
Despite this, Nurse has asked to move out of town and has even provided the Oilers with three teams to work with. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed that the trio is likely the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Boston Bruins. With the defenseman set to depart Edmonton, general manager Stan Bowman has to fill a significant void on the roster.
The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell believes that Ryan Shea is a “great bet” to replace Nurse. It was previously revealed that the fellow left-handed blueliner would depart Pittsburgh after three seasons. Shea, however, is not leaving the Penguins because he underperformed. Instead, the late bloomer is set to receive a significant raise, and Pittsburgh does not want to pay up.
According to Mitchell, Shea would be a solid second-line pair for the Oilers alongside newly re-signed defenseman Connor Murphy. The former Blackhawk recently received a five-year, $20.5 million contract extension with Edmonton. While Mitchell acknowledges that a substantial deal with Shea may be risky, the defenseman has proven to get better with age. The blueliner recently posted a career-high 35 points during the 2025-26 season in western Pennsylvania.
Targeting Ryan Shea Could be a Risky Move by the Edmonton Oilers
GettyFormer Penguins star Ryan Shea would likely play on the second line if acquired by the Edmonton Oilers.
Although Shea reached NHL goal and assist milestones this past season, it came in his first-ever full season in the league. The defenseman, 29, previously played 31 games and 39 games in the two previous campaigns with the Penguins. Bowman and the Edmonton Oilers could be leery of Shea’s lack of experience before handing him a significant contract. Nevertheless, the veteran certainly proved he can handle the extra playing time.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston recently ranked Shea as the 20th-best NHL unrestricted free agent this summer. He is, however, the second-ranked left-handed defenseman on the list, only behind Mario Ferraro. According to Johnston, the soon-to-be former Penguin should receive a deal in the neighborhood of four years, $17 million ($4.3 million AAV) in the coming days.
If this turns out to be true, the Oilers would save some money by essentially swapping Nurse for Shea. This would be a key piece of business by Bowman and Co. According to Puckpedia.com, Edmonton has just over $7 million in projected cap space. The Oilers have multiple roster needs to address, though.
Edmonton Will Face Competition for the Defenseman’s Signature
The Edmonton Oilers will, however, have plenty of competition in the Shea sweepstakes once free agency opens up. The Vancouver Canucks have also been linked with a potential move for the veteran this summer. New York Rangers beat writer Peter Baugh recently named Shea as a possible target for the team as well.
If the Oilers end up missing out on Shea, they could look to land an NHL blueliner in the Nurse trade. Edmonton has been linked with multiple Flyers blueliners, including Rasmus Ristolainen. Nurse is apparently interested in moving to Philadelphia in the near future.
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