Dmitry Orlov: 2013-14 Season Review

Photo: Justin K. Aller

Dmitry Orlov‘s season didn’t get started until Thanksgiving, but once he got going he was darn good. Still, I can’t help but think that he’s not the kind of player we used to think he was.

By the Numbers

Peter’s Take

Adam Oates did not like Orlov’s play and declined to give him a sweater through the season’s first two months. To keep an escape clause in his contract for going into effect, George McPhee kept Orlov bouncing between Hershey and Arlington that whole time– a pretty wretched situation for the young Russian defenseman. By the end of November, Orlov requested a trade– but instead he got ice time. One wonders if Oates changed his mind or if his hand was forced.

Once Orlov hit the playing surface, he did better than anyone else at driving possession (relatively). But that didn’t translate into goals– Orlov’s goal percentage during 5v5 was 3.5 percent lower than his possession, well into the red. That’s mostly due to bad save percentages by the Caps when Orlov was on the ice, and it leads us to a quandary: is that Orly’s fault? There were certainly plenty of defensive miscues on Dmitry’s part– particularly on those way-too-frequent odd-man rushes. I suspect a significant portion of Orlov’s struggles without the puck were systemic, but he also would do well to bone up on his play without the puck. Once he does, he’d be a complete player– though probably not the offensive defenseman we thought he’d be.

Orlov just doesn’t generate that much offense individually. He ranks 141st out of 195 D-men in both shot rate and shot attempt rate. For a player some have called the next Mike Green, he’s shoots more like Karl Alzner. That doesn’t mean he’s bad– at all; he’s just a different kind of player. I actually think there’s a very high ceiling on Orlov. He’s already good, but with a few tweaks and in a better system he could one day become a Norris candidate.

Orly on RMNB

• I’ll start with pressing news: Orlov broke his arm at World Champs. No swimming pools for a month, poor guy.
• Here’s one of many reasons why I like the kid, from late November: “When I am told that I am being sent down to Hershey – I actually feel good about it, because I know I am going to get to play hockey, which is what I love to do.”
• When Igor explained corsi to Dima…
• I still don’t get this stupid joke.
• Orlov re-signed with the Caps in March. It’s a good deal, though not a very long term.
• Orly put a naughty hit on Brayden Schenn and got suspended two games. Here’s the hit.
• Matt Martin put a scary hit on Orlov in February. I don’t wanna put the GIF in here, so follow the link.
• Wow, so Orlov was involved in a bunch of iffy stuff. Here’s him putting a crosscheck on Zuccarello’s helmet.
• “The more he plays correct in our end, the more he’ll become a regular player.” Ironically, if Oates had made Orlov a “regular player” earlier, he might still have a job. See ya.
• Orlov earned his ice time. Ian broke it all down in December. Real strong work– by both the player and the writer.
• Here’s the thing I wrote when Orly hit the 30-day requirement stipulated in his contract. Here’s the thing I wrote when he got sent down a month earlier. And here’s me being like, “why the heck isn’t he playing?” back in November? Seriously, I still want to know.
• Speaking English on camera for the first time.

In Pictures

A sea of orange parted for this perfect shot.

This next one is a different goal, I swear.

Look at the work Jason Chimera does up front to allow this scoarlov.

This whole “carry my bags” thing is still really weird to me.

Cute.

Your Turn

Why didn’t Oates play Orlov? How do you apportion blame for Orlov’s on-ice save percentage: him, the system, and bad luck? What would you want to see out of him next season? Do you think I’m high for saying he could be a Norris candidate someday?

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