The Washington Capitals don’t start the regular season until Oct. 13, so there’s still time to get Dmitry Orlov signed. The 25-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent. He made $2.25 million last season, when he scored a career high-29 points in 82 games.
The big issue is cap space. The Caps don’t have much. It’s been estimated they could give Orlov around $2.6 million next season. It remains to be seen if that will be enough.
Orlov, whose KHL rights were acquired in 2013 by CSKA Moscow, was asked on Sunday if he wants to remain in the NHL.
“Yeah, of course, I play five years in USA so of course I like it here,” he said, per CSN Washington. “And I would like to stay here. But I don’t know how it’s going to happen. We’ll see.”
Chances are, both sides will find a way to get something done. Caps head coach Barry Trotz has said he envisions Orlov getting more “prime minutes” next season, calling it a “great opportunity” for the young Russian.
“We’ll look for his contributions on the power play, the penalty kill, playing in that top-4 on a pretty regular basis,” added Trotz.
It’s just a matter now of finding a number that works. Not easy, but hardly impossible.