After the NHL trade deadline passed Friday afternoon, Kyle Dubas made one last move before the Penguins' game against the Golden Knights: Signing Ryan Shea to a one-year, $900,000 extension for next season.

Shea, 28, is in his second season in the organization, his second with NHL time, and the first in which he's been exclusively in the NHL. He's skated in 28 games, recording two goals and three assists.

Shea called the decision to re-sign in Pittsburgh a "no-brainer."

"Obviously, exciting stuff," he said after the Penguins' 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights. "To get to come back for another year to where I want to be, it's everything -- the team, the culture here, the city, the fans."

Shea hasn't just become an NHL regular -- he's become a top-pairing defenseman for stretches. Since the trade of Marcus Pettersson, he has seen time alongside Kris Letang, including in this game.

The next step is going to be solidifying himself as a top-four, and he knows exactly who he wants to emulate in order to do that.

"I think I'm just kind of settling into a role," Shea said. "I always liked the way certain guys played. When you talk about a guy like Marcus Pettersson and what he can do -- move pucks, play shutdown defense, I think that's kind of what I aspire to be. Tanger does it the same way, as well."

Friday's loss wasn't a step in that direction. Shea and Letang were on the ice for Ivan Barbashev's second-period goal that made it a 2-0 game, and Shea opened the third back on the third pairing alongside Ryan Graves, and those two were on the ice for Brandon Saad's goal on one of their first shifts of the period.

"Today was not good for for me," Shea observed. "I thought it was kind of a pathetic effort for me, to be honest."

Bigger picture, though, Shea's game has turned a corner this season. He's more responsible, he's contributing more offensively, and he can hold his own against other teams' top lines.

Shea was a player the Penguins signed out of free agency in 2023 after the Stars let him walk in free agency after his entry-level deal expired, never giving him NHL time and then failing to qualify him and keep him a restricted free agent. After this extension, Shea's able to take a step back and appreciate how far he's come.

"I didn't get my chance in Dallas," Shea said. "I was patient, but I didn't let that get me down. I had to go through a little bit here as well, and I just showed up every day and tried to stay positive, tried to leave anything that may be frustration at home, and I just have a good attitude and work hard every day. It definitely feels like it's coming out right now. My game is getting better and better every game."

• Tommy Novak made his Penguins debut, centering the third line with Danton Heinen and former Nashville linemate Phil Tomasino. He finished with two shots on four attempts, one giveaway, one takeaway, one block, and a 2-4 showing in the faceoff circle in 14:01, all at even-strength.

"You can see the skill level he has," Mike Sullivan said of Novak's debut. "You know, he gets a Grade-A look on the two-on-one, just misses his mark. But he made a few plays. He has good tight-area skills. I think he skates well. There's a lot to like there."

• Who replaces Anthony Beauvillier on the second power play? Good question. The Penguins didn't have a power play all game, so there was no answer.

• Jack St. Ivany was recalled on an emergency basis prior to the game. It was an emergency recall because teams are limited to four standard (non-emergency) recalls post-trade deadline, but in order to use an emergency recall a team has to have below 12 forwards, six defensemen or two goaltenders (or at least have one of those players be questionable). All six other defensemen took warmups and played, but St. Ivany wasn't available for warmups and was scratched. I did see him outside the locker room after the game. Mike Sullivan said afterward his understanding of the reasoning behind the move was because the team is out west and the uncertainty surrounding the trade deadline.

• Bryan Rust blocked a shot in the second period and left for the locker room, but returned for the third. He said he wasn't concerned injury-wise afterward.

• Rust led with five of the Penguins' 22 shots. Four of those came in the first period alone, when the Penguins only had nine total.

• Boko Imama led with five of the Penguins' 26 hits.

• Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 23 of 27 shots.

• The Penguins are staying the night in Las Vegas and will practice here at 2:30 p.m. Eastern before heading to St. Paul, Minn., for the end of the road trip.