The Penguins need to keep Ryan Shea around.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a strong 2025-26 season. After entering the campaign expected to be among the bottom teams in the AHL, the Penguins instead made the playoffs and finished second in the Metropolitan Division standings.
There are many reasons why the Penguins exceeded expectations this campaign. Among them was defenseman Ryan Shea, as the 29-year-old had a big breakout year for the Metropolitan Division club.
Shea emerged as a key part of the Penguins' defensive group due to his strong all-around play. In 80 games with the Penguins, the left-shot blueliner set new career highs with six goals, 29 assists, 35 points, and a plus-30 rating. With numbers like these, the Milton, Massachusetts native not only proved that he can be a full-time NHL defenseman but also a very good one.
Shea is now entering the summer as a pending unrestricted free agent and is set to land himself a nice raise from his current $900,000 cap hit. Yet, when looking at how excellently Shea played this season, the Penguins should be working very hard to keep him around in Pittsburgh.
It will be interesting to see what ends up happening between Shea and the Penguins. If he ends up signing elsewhere, it would be a tough blow for the Metropolitan Division club.