It's not as though Jay McKee has made a habit of playing 82 games a season.

Fact is, he hasn't done it a single time since breaking into the NHL with Buffalo during the 1995-96 season, although he did appear in 81 eight winters ago.

This isn't the first time he has been a healthy scratch at this level, either.

But McKee's current situation -- being the No. 7 defenseman on a team that, like most, routinely dresses six -- is unlike anything he has experienced in his career.

And it is not, predictably enough, something he enjoys.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by the situation," McKee said after an optional practice Monday at Southpointe. "But it's a part of the game. We've got great depth here, and I'm proud to be part of this team."

McKee was nudged down the depth March 1, when general manager Ray Shero sent a second-round draft choice to Florida for Jordan Leopold. The Penguins' coaches and scouts liked the way Leopold moves the puck and figured his talents would be a good fit in coach Dan Bylsma's system.

Four games into Leopold's tenure here, there's not much reason to second-guess that projection.

"With Jordan coming in, obviously we wanted to get him in the lineup to see what he can do," said assistant coach Mike Yeo, who oversees the defense. "And so far, he's been very impressive."

McKee has dressed for just one of those four games. That was the Penguins' 5-4 overtime victory Thursday in New York, when right winger Bill Guerin was a late scratch because of back spasms and the Penguins had to go with seven defensemen to field a 20-man lineup.

He almost was an afterthought in that game, however, logging five minutes and 40 seconds of ice time while taking just eight shifts.

McKee, 32, was signed as a free agent in July, after the Penguins lost Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill via free agency. His forte is defense -- he has scored more than two goals in a season only twice -- and despite having his workload reduced as this season has progressed, was tied for 15th in the NHL with 127 blocked shots going into Monday night's games.

Still, he does not have the puck skills of a Sergei Gonchar or a Kris Letang or an Alex Goligoski, and that's significant in the Penguins' preferred style, which emphasizes getting the puck up ice as quickly as possible.

That doesn't mean McKee can't be a significant contributor during the stretch drive and playoffs. He's an effective penalty-killer, and it's not out of the question that the Penguins will find themselves in a best-of-seven series against an opponent where his defensive abilities would come in handy.

"Our [objective] here is to win the Stanley Cup, and you can figure that will take another 40 or 45 games before that's accomplished," McKee said. "There's no doubt in my mind that I'll be back in the lineup."

It's possible that an injury will open a spot for McKee. The Penguins don't have a defenseman who has appeared in all of their games this season, and guys who play that position rarely contend for ironman awards.

Because McKee is next in line for playing time, it's important that he keep himself ready to return to work on short notice. And while losing his place in the top six undoubtedly stung, the coaching staff isn't concerned that McKee will lose his focus now that he's cast as a spare part.

"I don't worry about that with Jay," Yeo said. "When you watch him play, it's pretty easy to see that he's a guy who's going to do anything he can to help his team and to help his team win.

"He's going to stay ready. That's not always easy and involves a lot of extra work, but he knows as well as we do that to do what we're hoping to do this year, you need depth. You're going to need extra bodies, and he's going to get an opportunity to play again."

Whether that happens because of an injury or because McKee forces his way back in remains to be seen.

"Part of my job, given the situation I'm in, is pushing the guys who are playing," he said. "For me, that's being accomplished by working real hard in the weight room and making an impression on the coaching staff, working harder than I've ever worked before.

"We're all professionals here. Every player who's in this game wants to play, and I'm no different."

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.