Shea, 28, played a career-high 24:18 in Sunday’s win over the Wild, so it’s unclear when he sustained the injury. The career depth defenseman has seen his usage spike coming out of the 4 Nations break. After spending a good portion of the campaign as a healthy scratch, he’s now played in a season-high eight straight games, although that streak will end tonight against the Golden Knights. He has three points and an even rating while averaging 21:27 per game during that stretch, including his first career two-goal game against the Rangers on Feb. 23.

A two-way defender with conservative point production at the NHL level, the 6’2″ lefty is in his second NHL season. All his 61 career appearances have come in a Pittsburgh uniform, posting a 3-3–6 scoring line with a minus-six rating while averaging 14:44 per game. The former Blackhawks draft pick’s possession numbers have been good considering his defensively-skewed usage, controlling 49.5% of shot attempts at even strength since his debut last year while making 61.8% of his zone starts in the defensive end.

Shea is just four days removed from putting pen to paper on a one-year, $900K extension to keep him in Pittsburgh for the 2025-26 campaign. Now one of six defenders signed to one-way deals through next season with the Pens, he’s likely to see regular minutes again after avoiding minor-league assignments for the first time in his professional career in 2024-25.

Pittsburgh’s already thin defensive depth will be stretched even further with Joseph set to miss a few more games. He landed on injured reserve before the trade deadline, although since the roster limit has been lifted, it’s unclear whether Shea will join him on IR. Their absence necessitated the recall of Sebastian Aho from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier this morning. He’s projected to serve as a healthy extra against Vegas while Ryan Graves re-enters the lineup after sitting as a scratch for the win in Minnesota.

Before his latest injury, Joseph had disappointed with one assist and a -15 rating in 24 games since being re-acquired from the Blues in December. A pending restricted free agent, he’s likely to be non-tendered by Pittsburgh for the second summer in a row.

The 28-year-old has been a full-timer on an NHL roster for the first time in his career this season, albeit being primarily in a reserve role.  Shea has suited up in 28 contests for Pittsburgh so far in 2024-25, notching two goals and three assists while averaging 16:30 per night.  His role has increased significantly since the 4 Nations Face-Off, however, as he has averaged nearly 21 minutes per game since then and he should be in line to keep playing that bigger role down the stretch.

Shea came to Pittsburgh through Group Six unrestricted free agency after spending three years in their system without getting an NHL opportunity.  He got into 31 games with the big club last season, earning a two-way deal for his efforts and now, he gets his highest guaranteed salary as he looks to cement a full-time spot in their lineup for 2025-26.

The Penguins now have five blueliners under contract for next season with Shea joining Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Graves, and Vladislav Kolyachonok.  Matt Grzelcyk wasn’t moved by today’s deadline and is UFA-eligible this summer while Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Conor Timmins, acquired earlier today from Toronto, will be restricted free agents with salary arbitration rights.

Carolina Hurricanes

none

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Cole Clayton (one year, $950K entry-level cap hit)
F Owen Sillinger (one year)

New Jersey Devils

F Mike Hardman (two years)
D Colton White (two years)

New York Islanders

none

New York Rangers

none

Philadelphia Flyers

none

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Nathan Clurman (one year)
D Mac Hollowell (one year)
F Jimmy Huntington (one year)
F Bokondji Imama (one year)
D Ryan Shea (one year)

Washington Capitals

G Mitchell Gibson (one year)
D Chase Priskie (one year)

A few years ago, Grzelcyk was a key piece on Boston’s back end.  However, the 30-year-old saw his ice time dip below the 18-minute mark for the last two seasons.  To make matters worse, after being a consistent secondary contributor who had put up at least 20 points in four straight years, Grzelcyk was limited to just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season, leading to some time as a healthy scratch.

That said, he’s still an intriguing pickup for the Penguins as someone who should start on their third pairing but could move up to the top four when injuries arise.  On a one-year term, it’s also a relatively low-risk contract compared to some of the pricier multi-year contracts handed out throughout the day.

Hollowell is coming off his best professional season.  The 25-year-old joined the Rangers as a Group Six free agent last summer and had a productive campaign with AHL Hartford, tallying 44 points in 64 games.  However, that wasn’t enough to get him a recall to New York.  A Group Six free agent once again this year, he has opted to sign for a GM who has plenty of familiarity with his game as he previously was in Toronto’s system under then-GM Kyle Dubas.

As for Shea, the decision to sign with Pittsburgh last summer was a fruitful one.  The 27-year-old got his first taste of NHL action, playing in 31 NHL games where he had his first career NHL goal while logging more than 12 minutes a night.  Shea also got into 23 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up six points.  He’ll likely be in a similar role this season as one of the first recalls when injuries strike on the back end.

More from the Metropolitan:

• The Islanders have listed center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) as a game-time decision against Carolina, notes Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old left Wednesday’s game in the first period and didn’t return.  Pageau had a solid regular season on the third line, collecting 11 goals and 22 assists while playing in all 82 games for the first time since 2016-17.
• After clearing waivers on Friday, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 27-year-old didn’t make his NHL debut until this season but got into 31 games with Pittsburgh, scoring once while averaging 12:37 per night.  Shea, a pending unrestricted free agent, has suited up 22 times for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, collecting six points and will continue to play for them in their upcoming playoff action.

April 18: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Ryan Shea on waivers (Twitter link). It’s his second time on waivers this season, after passing through unclaimed in December. The Penguins also assigned Valtteri Puustinen, Radim Zohorna, and Jack St. Ivany to the minor leagues (Twitter link).

Shea has served as one of many rotating through Pittsburgh’s seventh defenseman role, ultimately slotting into 31 games. He recorded just one point – an April 4th goal – in those appearances this season, though he did manage six points in 22 AHL games.

Shea made his NHL debut earlier this year, joining the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent last summer. It was the first move of Shea’s young career, after spending his first three pro seasons with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Shea was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks but went on to sign with the Dallas Stars after going unsigned by the Blackhawks. He managed 66 points in 163 games with the Texas Stars.

These assignments come after the Penguins’ 2023-24 season ended with no playoff berth. Shea will, if he clears waivers, join the trio of assignees as reinforcements to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who are bound for a strong playoff spot of their own, currently ranked third in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

The 37-year-old Oshie has been dealing with back issues through much of the season and has used the service of a chiropractor on several occasions to relieve some of the pain and allow him to play. When he has played, he’s been limited offensively as he has just 11 goals and 11 assists this season.

The Capitals are in Detroit tomorrow night to take on the Red Wings and although Oshie is travelling with the team, Washington head coach Spencer Carbery wouldn’t commit to an answer regarding Oshie’s availability for tomorrow night’s game.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

• Post-Gazette Sports reporter Matt Vensel tweeted that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea is in Buffalo dealing with an immigration issue as the Penguins head north of the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening. Pittsburgh is hoping that Shea will be available by gametime as the Penguins look to continue their surge towards an Eastern Conference playoff berth. Shea has been playing his best hockey of the season as of late, finding a home on the Penguins’ bottom pairing. He scored his first NHL goal on Thursday night in a 4-1 win over Washington.
• Mark Divver of NHL.com tweeted that Penguins prospect Cruz Lucius has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will likely land at Arizona State. The 20-year-old spent last season at the University of Wisconsin and led the Badgers in scoring with 13 goals and 21 assists in 36 games. Lucius becomes the fifth Badgers player to enter the transfer portal and it caps off an eventful few months as the former fourth-round pick was traded at the NHL trade deadline as part of the Carolina Hurricanes package to acquire forward Jake Guentzel from the Penguins.

Other updates out of the Eastern Conference:

• The Maple Leafs announced they’ve brought up defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto for the second time in three days. It’s an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, indicating he’ll serve as injury insurance ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers and will likely return to the minors tomorrow. The 26-year-old landed his first NHL deal last summer after spending 2022-23 on an AHL contract with Toronto and made his first two NHL appearances in February, logging a shot on goal, a block and four hits while averaging 11:40 per game. Rifai coming up to the active roster today confirms that Morgan Rielly, who’s already missed three games with an upper-body injury, isn’t ready to return. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Rielly is “close to 100 percent” and will practice tomorrow, meaning he could return for Wednesday’s key clash for playoff positioning against the Lightning (via David Alter of The Hockey News).
• Lightning backup netminder Jonas Johansson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing practice today and is questionable to dress against the Red Wings tonight, Chris Krenn of the team’s official site relays. In the event Johansson is unable to go, they won’t make a recall from AHL Syracuse and will dress former Grand Valley State University netminder Kyle Konin as an emergency backup, per Krenn. The 26-year-old Rhode Island native resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has informally held the reserve role for the Lightning over the past few seasons, dressing once before as an emergency backup for the Blues when they visited Tampa in the 2021-22 season. Konin hasn’t played any significant level of hockey since ACHA III play in 2020.
• Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was on the ice for practice Monday after missing Saturday’s shootout loss to the Bruins with a lower-body injury, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. He was a late scratch with the injury and wasn’t issued a timeline beyond day-to-day evaluation, suggesting his absence would be short-term. All signs point to the 24-year-old Swede reentering the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres as the Caps aim to pull away from the Flyers and secure third place in the Metropolitan Division. In his first full season in the nation’s capital, Sandin has 23 points in 64 games while playing 21:20 a night, second on the team behind John Carlson.

Shea is in his first season with the Penguins after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent last July.  The decision was a wise one as he broke camp with the big club and spent more than two months on the NHL roster before being waived in mid-December.

Since then, the 27-year-old has been recalled now six times as he’s a trusted option to turn to when injuries arise.  Shea has played in 22 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, his first taste of NHL action.  He’s still looking for his first point but is averaging a respectable 12:28 per game on the third pairing when he is in the lineup.  He has been a bit more productive in the minors, collecting two goals and four assists in 22 AHL contests.

As for Gruden, he has been shuffled back and forth quite frequently this season with seven different recalls under his belt.  It hasn’t translated to a ton of action, however, as he has played in just 13 NHL contests this season, notching a single goal while averaging 8:40 per game.  The 23-year-old has also played in 46 AHL games, posting 13 goals and 11 assists.

While Pittsburgh likely would have preferred to keep Gruden on the roster, his assignment was salary cap-related as they didn’t have enough cap space to have him and Shea up with them.

This marks the first recall of St. Ivany’s career, coming in his second pro season. St. Ivany was originally drafted 112th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018, though he signed his first pro deal with the Penguins in 2022 after going unsigned by Philadelphia. St. Ivany took his talents to Yale University in the year after his draft, playing two seasons in the Ivy League before transferring to Boston College for his final two years of college. Despite never being known for his high scoring, St. Ivany managed 60 points across 115 NCAA games, including a collegiate-high 24 points in his senior year. He made his jump to the AHL last season, recording eight assists, 33 penalty minutes, and a -17 in 63 games but failing to score his first professional goal. That feat had to wait until this season, where St. Ivany has managed a much more serviceable four goals, 12 points, 30 penalty minutes, and +14 in 52 games. The 24-year-old is currently riding a 10-game cold streak, though, failing to score a point since a two-goal performance on February 14th.

St. Ivany now jumps to the NHL level, where he’ll serve in a depth role that was previously maintained by Shea. The two defenders aren’t far off, both posting meager scoring totals but bringing an impact with their long reach and poised passing. The Penguins will hope St. Ivany can produce a little bit more than Shea, who has yet to record his first NHL point through 22 career games. But with the Penguins defense healthy and, for the most part, clicking – it may be a bit before St. Ivany receives his NHL debut.

Last year with the Wolves, Dzingel played in a total of 22 games, scoring two goals and 11 points overall. Once a premier scorer in the NCAA with Ohio State University, Dzingel has seen his offensive capabilities tail off by quite a bit over the last several seasons.

Although it seems like it was longer ago, it has only been five years since Dzingel put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Now, the Silver Knights will be hoping that Dzingel can recoup some of his goal-scoring talents, as they currently sit bottom-five in the American Hockey League in goals scored.

Other transactions:

• The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Pavol Regenda from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. It will be the second call-up for Regenda this season, with the first one coming less than a week ago before the trade deadline. In his only game with the Ducks on the year, Regenda played over 12 minutes of that game but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard.
• After Jonathan Gruden cleared waivers this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to recall another player to fill out their roster. With that in mind, the team has recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Suiting up in 22 games for Pittsburgh this season, Shea has received bottom-pairing minutes while producing a -2 rating overall.
• Recalling him from their AHL affiliate on March 8th, defenseman Victor Soderstrom’s time with the Arizona Coyotes has come to an end for the time being. The team announced they have sent Soderstrom down to the Tucson Roadrunners after playing two games for the Coyotes on this recent stretch. On the year, Soderstrom has mostly played for the Roadrunners, scoring eight goals and 25 points over 50 games.

Puustinen’s skill set is much better suited to play in the team’s top six and he posted very good numbers while playing alongside center Evgeni Malkin. However, once top six wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell returned from injury it bumped Puustinen to the third line where he hasn’t been able to produce much in the way of offense.

Puustinen’s move to the AHL is likely a paper move but it will also afford him the opportunity to play in a scoring role once again and maybe re-capture some of the confidence he displayed early in December.

In other Penguins notes:

• The Penguins also announced that they’ve sent defenseman John Ludvig to the AHL on a conditioning loan. The 22-year-old has been working his way back from an upper-body injury in recent weeks and has been on the injured reserve. Yesterday Ludvig began practicing in a regular contact jersey but didn’t dress in last night’s game. With the Penguins on a break until February 6th Ludvig will have a chance to practice regularly with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and get into game action if he is healthy enough.
• The Penguins also assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. Shea had been on recall since January 17th but did not dress during the recall as he served as the team’s seventh defenseman. Shea has dressed in 22 NHL games for the Penguins this season but is unlikely to be the team’s first defensive recall after the break as Ludvig is most likely destined to occupy that spot should he be healthy by February 6th.

Karlsson was acquired this past August in a blockbuster three-way trade involving the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens. He won the Norris Trophy last season after being the first defenseman to top 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch did it in 1991-92. In his first year with the Penguins, Karlsson has had stretches of play where he has looked dominant, however, he has also struggled with the man advantage as the much-maligned Penguins powerplay has yet to find consistency and is a big reason that the team is chasing a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.

In other Penguins notes:

• Pens Inside Scoop is reporting that injured Penguins defenseman John Ludvig skated in a non-contact jersey after the official portion of the team’s practice had ended yesterday. Ludvig was placed on the injured reserve on January 3rd and is progressing towards a return very soon. The 23-year-old is in his first season with the Penguins, and although he has only a single assist in 19 games, he has impressed the team with his defensive responsibility and willingness to throw his body around.
• Pens Inside Scoop also reported that Reilly Smith also skated in a non-contact jersey after Penguins practice as he hopes to return in the coming weeks. Smith will likely not be able to play Saturday when the Penguins take on his former team in the Vegas Golden Knights as he is out longer term with an upper-body injury according to the Penguins. Smith suffered the injury on January 11th and has not played since. While a return to the ice against his former team is unlikely, the 32-year-old is in Vegas with the Penguins and should have a chance to re-connect with the community he spent six years in.

White, 26, is in his first season with the organization after shouldering fourth-line duties for the Panthers in their run to last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Initially joining the team on a PTO during training camp, the 2015 first-round pick was one of the few tryout attendees this year to earn a permanent contract. The Penguins signed him to a one-year, two-way deal three days before the start of the season and promptly placed him on waivers.

After passing through unclaimed, White reported to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for his first full-time AHL assignment in six years. His stat line with the Baby Pens is underwhelming, to say the least. He’s posted five goals and five assists for ten points in 21 games, although he’s heating up with eight points in his last ten games after a horrid start to the year.

The former Ottawa Senator is now on his third team in as many years after his lone campaign in Florida in 2022-23. His production has continuously dwindled since his 14-goal, 41-point rookie season in 2018-19, which prompted former Senators GM Pierre Dorion to sign him to an ill-advised six-year, $28.5MM deal that was bought out in the summer of 2022.

Injuries have played a major role in his lack of development. Most significantly, a dislocated shoulder cost him the first 50 games of the 2021-22 campaign.

Nevertheless, he gets what’s likely to be a brief shot back in the NHL ranks with Pittsburgh. With Reilly Smith sidelined with an upper-body injury, the Penguins are down to 12 healthy forwards on the active roster and only have cap room for two healthy skaters. For now, they evidently prefer to carry 13 forwards and six defenders rather than 12 and seven.

Shea, also in his first season in Pittsburgh, heads back to the AHL after a ten-day stint on the NHL roster. The 26-year-old’s only NHL experience has come in a Penguins jersey this season, posting a -2 rating and averaging 12:28 per game in 22 contests. The former Blackhawks and Stars prospect is still looking for his first NHL point.

He was one of the best shutdown blueliners in the minor leagues last season, posting 28 points and a +37 rating in 70 games with AHL Texas. That showing earned him a one-way deal from Pittsburgh and a spot on the team’s opening-night roster, and while he’s shown solid chance-prevention skills with the Penguins, his lack of any offensive production has bumped him down the depth chart over the past few months. He’s eligible for UFA status next summer.

10:30 AM: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman John Ludvig on injured reserve and recalled Ryan Shea from the minor leagues. Shea has been up-and-down from the minor leagues since clearing waivers on December 18th. He’ll now fill in for Ludvig, whose injury is currently undisclosed, though he did miss the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Washington Capitals. This is Ludvig’s second move to injured reserve this season, previously being placed on the list with a concussion that cleared up in late-November.

Ludvig is playing out his rookie season in Pittsburgh this year, after the Penguins claimed him off of waivers from the Florida Panthers before the start of the season. He was originally a third round draft selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. He played his first professional season two years after his draft, scoring eight points in 13 games as a rookie for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Ludvig spent parts of the next two seasons with the Charlotte Checkers, though he only managed a combined 57 games and 17 points with the club. He now finds himself in Pittsburgh, who briefly assigned him to the AHL for a conditioning stint after returning from his concussion. Ludvig did little in his pair of games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording no points and two penalty minutes.

Pittsburgh is replacing one rookie with another in Shea, a 26-year-old defenseman originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Shea played one more season of juniors after his draft, before playing in a full four years at Northeastern University. He similarly made his AHL debut in 2020-21, recording six assists in 27 games, and joined the Penguins organization via a one-year, $775K two-way contract signed on July 1st. Shea is still searching for his first NHL point, with six penalty minutes and a -2 being the only changes to his stat line through is first 22 career games. Shea has also gone without a point in four AHL games this year.