Martin Skoula played in an average of 80.4 games during his first nine seasons in the NHL and always dressed for at least 78.

Obviously, he avoided major injuries during that span and didn't have to deal with any extended benchings.

Simply put, if his team -- be it Colorado, Anaheim, Dallas or Minnesota -- was scheduled to play a game, it was a virtual lock that Skoula would be involved in it.

Not anymore.

Skoula signed with the Penguins in the waning days of training camp and, seven games into the regular season, is the only member of their 22-man roster who hasn't gotten into a game.

Winger Chris Bourque, a waiver claim shortly before the season, has participated in two, and even backup goalie Brent Johnson made a start before the season was a week old.

Nonetheless, Skoula isn't complaining. He understands that he was signed to be the Penguins' No. 7 defenseman, and that the coaching staff hasn't had any real reason to move him into the lineup.

Not when the six guys ahead of him on the depth chart have stayed reasonably healthy, and the Penguins have won six of their seven games.

"I knew what I was coming in for," Skoula said. "I'm not surprised or disappointed. I knew what was going on. I guess I'll just take it from there and we'll see what happens."

To date, the only thing Skoula hasn't missed is a practice. He routinely stays on the ice after his teammates have left, trying to keep an edge on his game so that he can be effective when the chance to play comes.

"We have pretty good practices that are comparable to games, so I just try to be focused in practice and just have solid practices," Skoula said. "And during the games, I work out or do extra work, just to stay in the best shape as possible."

He would prefer to be on the ice, not in the workout room, on game nights. But even though this is something he has not gone through in the past, Skoula thinks something positive can come of it.

"Everything is a good experience," he said. "Down the road, you learn from everything. I guess that when I get the chance to play, I want to be playing as I was before, the previous years."

The coaching staff, understandably, is eager to find out if Skoula, who will turn 30 on Oct. 28, still can play at a high level. At the same time, coach Dan Bylsma and his staff hardly can be upset that their top six defensemen haven't been injured and are performing well.

"We're hopeful he gets a chance to play," assistant coach Mike Yeo said. "But at the same time, we're very thankful that all of our guys are healthy right now and that all of our guys are playing well.

"It's a tough situation sometimes for a coaching staff, because we'd like to see him play. But we like the job those guys have done, so it's really hard to find an opportunity."

Although being a spare part is something new for Skoula, he suggested that it's easier for him to adjust to such a role than it would be for a young player trying to establish himself at this level.

"If I was 21, I think it would be a lot harder to stay in shape and be game-ready, compared to being almost 30, when I can take my experiences from the previous years and try to stay in that same mindset," he said.

That Skoula's opportunity will come, whether it's because another defenseman gets hurt or simply is struggling, is pretty much a given. Infinitely tougher to predict is how he'll respond when the time arrives.

Perhaps all the extra work he has put in will allow him to make a near-seamless transition to the lineup. Or maybe he'll be so eager to make a good impression that he'll try to do too much.

"I hope that whenever someone gets an opportunity to play, they're dying to show you what they can do and what they can bring," Yeo said. "You don't want to take yourself out of your game and what you do successfully.

"What a smart player would do -- and what you would expect a veteran to do -- is come in and really show you what he can do well and what he can add to a team."

That's what Skoula has a mind and, no, he isn't worried about eventually playing his first game with, and against, guys who have been at it for weeks.

"I'm going to have a better jump," he said, laughing. "I'll be well-rested."

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.