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Washington Capitals: What to do with playoff hero Devante Smith-Pelly?

By Andrew Gillis

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 12: Washington Capitals right wing Devante Smith-Pelly (25) holds his championship belt as the Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals hold their victory parade and rally on The National Mall on June 12, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 12: Washington Capitals right wing Devante Smith-Pelly (25) holds his championship belt as the Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals hold their victory parade and rally on The National Mall on June 12, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /
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It’s difficult for Washington Capitals fans to have an even-keeled Devante-Smith Pelly conversation.

On the one hand, there’s Devante Smith-Pelly, the playoff hero, the one who the Washington Capitals relied on to the tune of seven goals in 24 games en route to the 2018 Stanley Cup. The one who played admirably in his three Stanley Cup Playoff Games in 2019, though he didn’t register a goal.

On the other hand is Smith-Pelly, the player who had four goals and four assists in 54 games in the recent regular season, was assigned to Hershey near the trade deadline and sat out of some early season games due to conditioning problems, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post. 

On a third, hypothetical hand, is the player who fans love, who sells jerseys, and is a great voice in the Washington D.C. community.

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That leaves the Capitals and general manager Brian MacLellan stuck with a difficult choice in the offseason about what to do with Smith-Pelly, considering his playoff past with the team.

MacLellan didn’t seen opposed to bringing Smith-Pelly back for next season, but indicated that certain requirements will have to be met.

“I think we’ll talk to [Smith-Pelly] going forward,” MacLellan said. “I had an exit interview meeting with him and out-laid our expectations and we need to be assured that requirements would be met before we brought him back.”

Likely, he’s referencing the salary cap number and both on-ice play relating to conditioning.

If the Capitals are to give Smith-Pelly another contract, one that might cost one million dollars or more, they’ll need to be assured that they’re spending their money wisely.

Against the cap, the team still has to re-sign Jakub Vrana, Christian Djoos and potentially a mix of Brett Connolly, Andre Burakovsky and Carl Hagelin. If Smith-Pelly were to cost more than thought, his return in Washington isn’t likely.

On ice, his play wouldn’t indicate a pay raise, however.

He scored just eight points in his 54 games in D.C. before being sent down to Hershey for the playoff run for the Bears. Possession-wise, he simply wasn’t a driver of play in the regular season.

Of 24 qualified skaters (skaters that played 50 minutes or greater this season) Smith-Pelly placed 23rd in Corsi For Percentage with 44.97 percent. His High-Danger Chances were slightly better, where he was 16th with 43.04 percent. His Expected Goals (xG%), however, shine a bit of a light on what kind of player Smith-Pelly is.

He placed 16th in the regular season with 45.79 percent of xG, but in the three games against the Hurricanes, “Devante Smith-Playoffs” showed up.

In just under 28 minutes of ice time, his possession numbers were still underwater (44 percent), but that placed him fourth on the team nonetheless. Against a team like the Hurricanes, the Capitals game was shot quality over quantity, which shows in the xGF and xGA category.

His xG% was 62.11, nearly 10 points higher than the next player on the team. Yes, sample size plays a lot into that, but what we saw from Smith-Pelly was an aggressive, hard-checking fourth line winger who got to the front of the net with his scoring chances and prevented the Hurricanes from getting to the front of the net with theirs.

He was one of five players — the other four were Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson and Jonas Siegenthaler — to have a High-Danger Chances Percentage of 50 or better. He was also even (12-12) on scoring chances. For a player like Smith-Pelly that can play the penalty kill and draw even on possession, there’s not much else that can reasonably be asked for.

So if Smith-Pelly’s past play in the playoffs is considered a trend by MacLellan, and the contract is affordable, there’s a decent chance Smith-Pelly is back in Washington.

If MacLellan still isn’t sure which Smith-Pelly will show up, D.C. will bid adieu to a local legend.

Next. Hershey Bears fall to Charlotte Checkers 3-1 Tuesday night. dark

If that’s the case, thanks for the memories, DSP.

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