Ryan Shea is sticking around.
The Penguins on Monday re-signed left-handed defenseman Shea to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level.
Shea earned a spot in the NHL out of camp at the start of last season and played OK to start, but couldn't maintain that consistency and ended up in the AHL. He earned another shot late in the season after Ryan Graves was concussed, and was reunited on a pairing with his partner from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Jack St. Ivany. That Shea-St. Ivany pairing down the stretch was the best the third pairing looked all season.
"I think him and Jack have played really well together as a pair," Mike Sullivan said during Shea's second stint. "They're defending hard. They've been good on the penalty-kill. They have pretty good chemistry. That's something that we've noticed and watching in the time we've had them here. But I don't think there's any question Ryan's brought his game to another level this time around."
It was Shea's mindset that led to him having more success in his second stint in the NHL.
"I think the second time around he has a whole different confidence level," Sullivan said. "I don't think he's playing a cautious game. He's making the plays when they're there, he's making simple plays when they're not there. He's defending hard."
The Penguins already have right-handed defensemen Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson and Jack St. Ivany signed and expected to be on the NHL roster, along with Ryan Graves, Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk and John Ludvig on the left side. Shea could compete with Ludvig for that sixth/seventh defenseman role, or potentially end up back in the AHL to start the season.
