Devante Smith-Pelly was a playoff hero for the Capitals during their first successful Stanley Cup run, registering seven goals and one assist during the twenty-four games played. This year he’ll start the postseason in the AHL.
After the Washington Capitals held practice Monday, general manager Brian MacLellan said that they had no plans to call up DSP ahead of the team’s first-round series.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said no plans at the moment to call up Devante Smith-Pelly from Hershey.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 8, 2019
MacLellan clarified that the reason behind not calling him up was that they weren’t sold on tinkering with their roster too much before Game One.
“We’re not anxious to make changes but we’re open to whatever it takes,” MacLellan told the Washington Times’ Adam Zielonka. “If we need Devante — he’s played well down there — we’ll use him.”
And MacLellan is right that DSP has been lighting up the AHL as a member of the Bears. In 17 games with his new team he has registered 12 points, with six goals and six assists, including a hat-trick.
Last Friday, when head coach Todd Reirden was asked about the possibility of recalling DSP for the playoffs, he responded “We have not made a determination on that yet.”
Smith-Pelly has struggled during the Capitals 2018-19 campaign. He arrived at training camp out of shape, with Todd Reirden noting the forward was “not at the level he needs to be.” After putting up only four goals and four assists in 54 games, he was put on waivers at the trade deadline and was assigned to the AHL Hershey Bears.
The Caps called up Nathan Walker for their regular-season finale but opted not to play him.
In case you want a refresher, here are all seven of DSP’s goals with the Capitals from the 2017-18 playoffs.
Headline photo: Kyle Mace
