After nine season in the NHL, Dmitry Orlov’s offensive awakening is just beginning.

By the Numbers

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:

• Most common teammates during 5-on-5
• Ice time per game, split up by game state
• 5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
• 5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
• Individual scoring events by the player
• 5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Fan Happiness Survey

About this visualization: At three times during the season (end of January, end of March, and end of May), RMNB shared an open survey with fans, asking the following question for each player:

On a scale from 1 to 5, how HAPPY are you to have this player on the team?

1 means VERY UNHAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM
2 means UNHAPPY
3 means NEITHER HAPPY NOR UNHAPPY
4 means HAPPY
5 means VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM

The numbers above show the average score for the player in each survey period.

Peter’s Take

I dunno where I did it, but I swear I predicted Dmitry Orlov would hit a career high in points this season. He didn’t, since the season was fifteen minutes long, but he did tie his career high in all-situation point rate: 1.3 per hour, even with his 2015-16 season. That uptick wasn’t from assists, but from Orlov’s own individual contribution to the offense.

After two down seasons in which Orlov had sort of been on his heels, digging the puck out of his own end rather than explicitly helping the offense, it looks like Orlov’s back to playing a more two-way game. That’s where I want him because I think he’s got a real underappreciated skill for making plays. I don’t think the change marks any new attitude within Orlov, but rather changing deployments and team tactics over time. I suspect a lot of Peter Laviolette’s purported “offense from the defense” attitude is hot air, but with Orlov I think I see it.

Some dude on Facebook is gonna say “bUt hIs tUrNOvErS.” I’m never gonna reconcile with this dude. We just the see the game differently. I see turnovers as a bunch of moments we remember disproportionately from the players who carry the puck more because they are good players, whereas the dude on Facebook is an unlovable wretch rejected by friends and family, forced to live in exile for his awful opinions. But I, as the Magnanimous Pluralist I am, will pretend to tolerate the dude’s Wrong Opinion below.

Orlov will hit a career high in points next year. Take it to the bank.

Orly on RMNB

• Orlov missed some time early in the season for violating the COVID protocol. Reportedly, he did not get sick.
• For Orlov, the worst part of quarantine was the boredom. Sports stars are relatable.
• We broke down the X’s and O’s of a brutal OT loss that Orlov was partially on the hook for.
• Against that same team, Orlov saved an almost-goal banked off Oshie’s face.
• And he got a solo OTGWG like nbd.
• Baby Kirill came to watch dad play.
• In May, Orlov put a high hit on Kevan Miller. Miller hit his head on the ice and had to go the hospital. Orlov was not given additional discipline.
• But have you met Joy?

Your Turn

bUt hIs tUrNOvErS

Read more: Japers Rink