Photo credit: Robb Carr

By our math, today marks Dmitry Orlov‘s 30th day on the Washington Capitals’ active roster. For the first two months of the season, Orlov had been wearing out a groove between DC and Hershey, recalled and re-assigned six times without playing a single NHL game. The reason for all those two-and-a-half hour trips was a mystery until The Washington Post’s Katie Carrera reported that Orlov’s contract contained an escape clause: if he didn’t spend one month in the NHL by January 1st, Orlov could have walked.

On November 27th, Orlov’s agent, Mark Gandler, reported that his client would like to be traded rather than suffer the ignominy of US-15 any longer. Instead, on November 30th, Orlov played his first game in a Capitals uniform since March.

Neither the Capitals nor Orlov’s agent would comment on hitting the 30-day requirement, but it appears Orlov won’t be leaving town anytime soon.

The Capitals have won 3 of the 4 games since Orlov suited up, winning the possession contest in all four. Orlov’s time on ice has increased from under 14 minutes to over 18 during the span, and his individual underlying numbers have been strong.

We don’t know why Adam Oates had a change of heart regarding Dmitry Orlov, but we’re glad he did.

Additional reporting by literally everyone.