What Should the New Jersey Devils Do with Rod Pelley?

The Devils got off to an ugly 0-2 start with bad losses at home to division rivals, but they have come back with a nice three-game sweep of Tampa Bay, Florida and Washington, all coming on the road.  While the team as a whole has started to look much better, one player who has yet to get it going is Rod Pelley.

Pelley was pretty much guaranteed a spot with the Devils this summer when Petr Vrana decided to go back and play in his native Czechoslovakia.  Pelley, a center, had experience with the team, having played in 58 games in '07-'08 and nine games in '06-'07.  However, in those 67 combined games, Pelley had a total of two goals and six points.

This season hasn't started any differently for Pelley.  In the Devils' first five games, he has no points, a plus/minus of (-4), and has as many penalty minutes (four) as he does shots on goal.  Three of those shots came in one game.  On the rare occasion when he does have the puck, he just hasn't looked comfortable.

To be fair, being the fourth-line center means he has played with Andrew Peters, Illka Pikkarainen, Matt Halischuk and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond.  Not exactly a group of guys that offer much offensive support. 

Rob Niedermayer has played well early on, and that also keeps Pelley from being able to get playing time with the third line.  Playing with the fourth line means he has been on the ice a total of 33:36 in five games.  That's an average of just under seven minutes per game.

The Devils are only five games into their season and there is still plenty of time to show he belongs.  Pelley doesn't necessarily have to score a ton of goals or put up huge offensive numbers, but as the fourth-line center he needs to play a tight, defensive, confident game and be a player that coach Lemaire can put out on the ice in close games. Right now, Pelley isn't doing much of any of those things.

Pelley probably has until Oct. 29 to show he belongs.  That day is rumored to be the possible return date for Patrick Elias.  If Pelley does not show improved play by then, it is possible Elias becomes the second line center, and Dainius Zubrus and Niedermayer slide down to the third and fourth-line centers.  Pelley wouldn't have a spot on the team.

Let's hope he gets it going, has himself a stretch of good games, and makes any decision that's made about player personnel once Elias returns a tough one.