Former Oiler Riley Sheahan announces retirement

The left-shot centre had a short tenure with the Oilers, as he played 66 games with the team in 2019-20. Overall, he scored eight goals and 15 points with a -13, playing in four postseason games as well. Those were the final four postseason games of his career.

Sheahan was selected 21st overall in the 2010 draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He spent three seasons at Notre Dame, before getting into one game in 2011-12 and 2012-13. In the 2013-14 season, Sheahan became somewhat of a regular for the Wings, playing 42 games with nine goals and 24 points. The following season in 2014-15, he scored a career-high 36 points with 13 goals, before scoring a career-high 14 goals in 2015-16.

The centre’s production began to wane in 2016-17, scoring two goals and 13 points in 80 games as the Detroit Red Wings failed to make the postseason for the first time in a long time. After eight games in 2017-18, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he scored 11 goals and 32 points in 73 games. Moreover, he had a goal and three points in 12 postseason games.

In 2018-19, Sheahan started the season with the Penguins, scoring seven goals and nine points in 49 games before a mid-season trade to the Florida Panthers. After the trade (that included future Oiler Derick Brassard), Sheahan scored two goals and 10 points in 33 games for the Panthers.

After his Oiler tenure, Sheahan played for the Buffalo Sabres in 2020-21, scoring four goals and 13 points. The following season, he was signed by the newly formed Seattle Kraken where he scored four goals and 17 points in 69 games. Sheahan returned for two games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23 but eventually found his way to Europe where he played with EHC Biel in the National League in Switzerland.

Sheahan’s tenure with the Oilers was short, but he was a solid depth piece that could kill penalties and pot a goal or two. It appears that the 32-year-old is transitioning to a coaching and development role, so best of luck to Sheahan.