Stan Bowman is in his third season as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers his tenure has been a mixed bag overall. The Oilers have made a Stanley Cup Finals appearance during his reign but have seen some ups and downs aside from that.
In terms of player acquisitions, he does not have the best track record since he was hired. Arguably the most notable failure as far as unrestricted free agents go is Andrew Mangiapane. His signing clearly did not work from the start and Bowman had to cut bait less than a year into his two-year contract. However, he had been in trade rumours for months by that point.
This past summer, Bowman was not particularly gun-shy and made multiple moves in free agency that received positive feedback at the time. One of those moves was signing defenceman Ryan Shea to a five-year contract worth $4 million annual average value.
Bowman's best free agent signing
At 29 years old, Shea looked like a veteran NHL blueliner but at the time, he had only played 150 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This gave him plenty of risk after just one full season in the NHL under his belt but it also looked like he had a lot of potential. Shea has been a player poised to breakthrough and after a big contract year that saw him score 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) in 80 games, he looked like he was here to stay.
The Oilers were able to get in early and grab Shea at a relatively low cost at just $4 million per season. Getting in as the tides are turning and contract values are skyrocketing, locking him up at a modest cap hit now, could be a big bargain in just a couple seasons. It is the type of move that general managers who hope to stay competitive make and one that could be a great value deal for the Oilers.
It also helps that Shea was coming in as a replacement for longtime Oilers defender, Darnell Nurse who took plenty of criticism during his time. Between his mishaps with the puck and being viewed as overpaid, Shea making a fraction of Nurse's contract and his trade out of town being a big win makes him look a lot better by comparison. He also benefitted from being able to receive many of the minutes that his absence leaves but, credit where it is due.
Shea has a great two-way game, providing value as a puck moving defenceman while also showing some defensive abilities. He is smart and responsible with the puck and has looked like he is a valuable member of the team's top-four. This is nothing too surprising however, given his play with the Penguins. Ryan Shea logged the second most minutes of a defenceman on the Penguins while shorthanded, playing 180 minutes while a man down. Coincidentally, the Penguins had the sixth ranked penalty kill last season, due in large part by Shea.
So far with the Oilers, Shea has been impressive. Through just eight games this season, he has scored one goal and two assists for three points and has been a minute muncher for the team. Oilers head coach Mike Babcock has thrown him out in all-situations, and this reflects on his time on iceShea ranks third on the team in ice-time, averaging 22:44 per game this season. He sits just below Oilers' stars Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid, showing just how vital the new defender has been for the club.
It may be a little too early to make bold claims but based on what we have seen, Shea looks like a big free agency win for the Oilers.
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