Shelley’s Purpose Diminished in Today’s NHL

It’s been said many times, many ways, but it hasn’t sunk in with the Flyers organization yet- Jody Shelley does not have a purpose in today’s NHL.

With all due respect to Shelley, he is too slow to match the speed of the game necessary post-lockout and doesn’t have the puck-handling skills to make up for it. He’s the kind of guy that Warren Zevon crooned about in the song “Hit Somebody.” His ice time has been decreasing with every game and bottomed out in Thursday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with just 2:05.

At his best, he’s good for entertaining the crowd with a forced fight at the beginning of the game. In Thursday’s case, he dropped the gloves with George Parros, another goon that only saw 2:39 of ice time in the same game.

What’s been noticeable this season is that many of the “real” fights haven’t been between your established goons, but rather key team players who are coming to their teammates’ aid or are trying to change momentum on their own.

–          Ilya Kovalchuk vs. Mike Green (HockeyFights.com- Kovalchuk vs. Green)

–          Pavel Datsyuk vs. Corey Perry  (HockeyFights.com- Datsyuk vs. Perry)

–          Jaroma Iginla vs. Derek Dorsett (Iginla vs. Datsyuk)

–          Mike Fisher vs. Kris Versteeg (Fisher vs. Versteeg)

–          David Backes vs. Bryan Bickell (Backes vs. Bickell)

The key point to take away in all of these fights is that the best NHL players can play every role. Sure, you don’t want to have to risk losing your best players for five minutes to scrap with a third liner, but that’s how a team like the Flyers can intimidate their opponents. If you can convince your opponent that he better watch his back because any one of eighteen guys is ready to throw down at a given notice, then you’ve done your job. Shelley’s butt parked on the bench isn’t putting the fear of God into anybody.

Tonight will be a good test of whether Shelley can prove his worth to the team or whether he’s a 225 lb. drain on the salary cap. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be heading to Philadelphia tonight and play a very physical brand of hockey. Dan Carcillo made a mockery of fourth line Maple Leaf goon Colton Orr last season by drawing his bush league antics into powerplay opportunities, but unlike Shelley (and Mike Richards and James Van Riemsdyk, for that matter), Orr is entering tonight’s game with at least one goal for the season.