-- Drake
In the 2011-2012 season it all seemed to be coming together
for then rookie defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
Two years removed from his being drafted in the second round by the
Washington Capitals, he dressed for 60 games, fourth most among rookie
defensemen that season. He also finished
highly-ranked among rookie defensemen in a number of other categories:
- Fourth in points (19)
- Tied for 8th in goals (3)
- Second in assists (16)
- Tied for 13th in power play points (2)
- Fifth in hits (99)
- 16th in blocked shots (54)
- 6th in takeaways
He did this rather efficiently, having finished only 16th
in average time on ice (16:52). That
rookie season suggested good things ahead for Orlov and the Capitals.
The 2012-2013 season was not nearly so kind. After suffering a pair of concussions while
playing for the Hershey Bears during the 2012 lockout, Orlov missed the Caps
first 28 games of the abbreviated season, not getting into the lineup until
March 5th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played only five games, finishing the
season with only one point.
Forward to 2013-2014.
Cue the travel music…
- September 30, assigned to Hershey
- October 30, recalled from Hershey
- November 3, assigned to Hershey
- November 4, recalled from Hershey
- November 13, assigned to Hershey
- November 17, recalled from Hershey
- November 22, assigned to Hershey
- November 25, recalled from Hershey
- November 26, assigned to Hershey
- November 30, recalled from Hershey
That’s about 1,500 miles in travel. Good thing the Caps didn’t have an AHL team
in Portland, Oregon. That November 30th
recall would be Orlov’s last of the 2013-2014 season. He played in 54 of the Caps’ 56 games after
that, missing two to a suspension when he boarded Philadelphia’s Brayden Schenn
into the boards on March 2nd in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.
Until Orlov’s arrival the Capitals’ defense on the second
and third pairs were churning buckets of “meh.”
After his arrival, the second pair bucket stopped churning.
…two, three, four.
Orlov would spend most of his time paired with Mike
Green. Of his 962 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time Orlov spent 523 of them on Mike Green’s left, more than 350 minutes more
than his next most frequent partner (Tyson Strachan, 147 minutes).
His pairing with Green mattered. Quite a lot in fact. When paired with Green at 5-on-5, Orlov’s Corsi-for percentage was 55.9. When apart it was 45.1. The thing is, it mattered to Green, too. Green’s Corsi-for percentage was 48.5 when not skating with Orlov at 5-on-5. As it was, Orlov and Green would be the only Caps defensemen to finish the season with Corsi-for and Fenwick-for percentage over 50 percent at 5-on-5. They, like Forrest Gump and Jenny, “was like peas and carrots.”
Fearless’ Take… The Caps were 25-17-12 with Orlov in the
lineup, 13-13-2 without him. He was the
rare Caps player with positive possession numbers. He was second on the team in penalties drawn
to penalties taken differential (plus-6), third among defensemen in penalties
drawn, despite playing only 54 games. You
get the feeling going through some of these reviews that not only did the Caps
not put their best roster on the ice at times, but almost stubbornly did so. Peerless said Steve Oleksy might not have
been a difference maker, but the Caps did do better with him in the lineup than
without him. Orlov is not (yet, perhaps)
a difference maker, but not every player is a difference maker. Some are just cogs that make the machine run
a little better.
Cheerless’ Take… After that two-goal game against the
Flyers, cuz? The one where he boarded
Schenn…no, not that Schenn, the other Schenn... He was suspended for two
games. The Caps lost them both. Then he went without a point for 14 straight
games, was minus-5, and the Caps were 6-5-3. The Caps were eliminated from the
playoffs a day after his scoring drought ended.
Odd Orlov Fact… Dmitry Orlov scored three goals this
season. All of them came against the
Philadelphia Flyers, one on December 15th at Verizon Center, two on
March 2nd in Philadelphia.
Both games went to extra time, both games ended in 5-4 decisions, one
win for each team.
Game to Remember… December 15th versus
Philadelphia. This was the game against
the Flyers in which Orlov scored a goal and DIDN’T so something
suspension-worthy. His goal came on a
strange coincidence of events. Late in
the third period it looked as if the Flyers would have their way with the Caps
with a 4-2 lead. But with 3:35 left the
teams lined up for a faceoff in the Philadelphia end. Joel Ward took it after Jay Beagle was tossed
from the circle. Ward wrestled Sean
Couturier to a draw and nudged the puck to Eric Fehr, who slid it back to
Orlov. From the left point Orlov let fly
with a shot that barely eluded Ward’s redirect attempt and seemed to actually
curve just outside goalie Steve Mason’s glove and just inside the near post to
draw the Caps to within a goal. Alex
Ovechkin tied the game with 48 seconds left, and the Caps won it, 5-4, in the
Gimmick. As much as the goal was Orlov’s
possession numbers. He finished with a
Corsi-for percentage of 73.1, a plus-40.5 relative to the team’s percentage for
when he was off ice.
He was protected with a lot of offensive zone starts, but he took advantage of
the opportunity.
Game to Forget… March 2 versus Phildelphia. It might have been a game to remember, the
game to remember for the season, except for two things. First, after Orlov helped the Caps to a 4-2
lead, his second goal giving the Caps that lead late in the second period,
Orlov took that major boarding penalty against Brayden Schenn. Second, the Flyers halved the lead on the
ensuing power play, tied the game with 1:05 left, then won the game in overtime
on a Vincent Lecavalier goal. Instead of
extending a winning streak to five games – what would have been the Caps’
longest of the season – it would become the first of a three-game losing
streak.
In the end…
That March 2nd game aside, Orlov settled in quite
well as Mike Green’s partner on the second pair. He did not look out of place in that
role. Whether he is a second-pair
defenseman on a contender is a matter yet to be settled, but this season was
one to suggest that his rookie season was no fluke and that the season lost to
injury in 2012-2013 was something of an aberration. The question now will be one of what sort of
upside Orlov has. Does he continue to
develop multiple facets of his game, especially on the defensive side of the
puck, where the team could use some help, or is he reaching the top of his game? After two full seasons it is hard to tell,
but that will make watching him going forward quite interesting. As for his 2013-2014 season, though, count it
as a positive development.
Grade: B
Photo: Geoff Burke-USA Today Sports
