i think he has been pro all season.
i think he has shown why he was chosen and highly thought of and he has shown that he is young, inexperienced and not locked in to a roster spot.
the second best d comment has to be frustration talking because it hasnt been true.
the second best d comment has to be frustration talking because it hasnt been true.
Other than Alzner, who has been better since Orlov was brought up? Maybe Carlson, but he's made some fairly major mistakes that stick out, but the offense makes up for that I guess.
Just my opinion and being pleasantly surprised with how he's played. I certainly think he's easily been better in his own zone than Wideman, Hamrlik and Schultz.
imo, the guy should stay with the big club regardless if and when Green comes back. i'm not gonna get in on: does he or dos he not look like our 2nd best D-man, but i am gonna say that yesterday against St Lois he looked better then any Caps defenseman... Confident and creative with the puck, even thou in one instance he got a little too cute in our own zone, but the most important thing to me is that more times than not he wins board battles, which at this point in the season our players forgot how to do...
p.s. oh... almost forgot; that boy knows how to hit.
It'll be more telling to see how he plays when the rest of the team is doing well. To see whether he gets over-aggressive when he should be locking it down with the lead, to see how he does with serious PP time, etc.
I'm not going to say "never send him back to the AHL" but if he can maintain the level of play he has so far I wouldn't be at all uncomfortable with him sticking.
I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of his play, but not as dough-eyed about it as some around here. He still has a lot of work to do on his defensive zone coverage. He's too reactive in the defensive zone, and will sometimes take himself out of proper position chasing the puck.
He'll get plenty of time in the NHL this season, but another stint in Hershey wouldn't be the worst thing for him or the Capitals. Though he's definitely shown that he's capable of playing in the NHL and doesn't drag the team down.
i have been seeing a guy that is having his minutes managed and not seeing much competition from the opposition. i am just keeping a level head about it. if the guy had been hosed down a couple times by top offensive talent and made to look like the baby defense that he is, it would be a more balanced set of data to look at.
last night he had one nice offensive rush with the puck that showed some elite level skill.
that rush was finished with a blind pass into the high slot which was a hideous turnover. both ends of the stick in one 10 second sample.
I was happy on the conservative side, but last night he showed some danglesauce that had me more excited.
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George McPhee....The Teflon GM. 15 years of failure and counting....
6 - Number of playoff series the Capitals have won since George McPhee took over as General Manager in 1997 (which makes him the third-longest-tenured GM in the League), three of which came in McPhee's first season on the job.
I remember scouting him hardcore before the draft. Singing his praises all over the place over here back then. Thought he'd be gone by early 2nd at least, completely awestruck that he fell all the way to the 50s and Mafki actually took him of all people. Thought that Johansson pick was another Gustafsson too, with the multiple concussions and whatnot, that Josefson was the real swedish center to watch out for. Man am I happy to be wrong about that.
NBTW called Eakin too. Good times. I miss drafts when they were so straightforward. Now we get Rocco Grimaldis and **** all over the place.
He'll probably go back down, but I think he should be given a legitimate opportunity to outplay Schultz and Hamrlik and stick if he does so. Could pay off handsomely. Him and Carlson are gonna be a deadly pairing one day.
I remember scouting him hardcore before the draft. Singing his praises all over the place over here back then. Thought he'd be gone by early 2nd at least, completely awestruck that he fell all the way to the 50s and Mafki actually took him of all people. Thought that Johansson pick was another Gustafsson too, with the multiple concussions and whatnot, that Josefson was the real swedish center to watch out for. Man am I happy to be wrong about that.
NBTW called Eakin too. Good times. I miss drafts when they were so straightforward. Now we get Rocco Grimaldis and **** all over the place.
He'll probably go back down, but I think he should be given a legitimate opportunity to outplay Schultz and Hamrlik and stick if he does so. Could pay off handsomely. Him and Carlson are gonna be a deadly pairing one day.
He's probably not totally ready for prime time, but the level of his game already is exciting. It sure looks like he's on pace for accelerated development, relative to the normal progression.
He's surprised me so far. I didn't think he'd be this good this early. As of now he's one of our best defenseman. I love how physical he is, he moves the puck real well, he's an excelent skater, and he looks real confident with the puck on his stick. Sometimes a little too confident, he does take some risks but none have come back to bite him so far. And to be perfectly honest I don't see why we'd send him back to Hershey, he's been better than Hamrlik, Wideman and Schultz. Until that changes I think he belongs with the big club.
I just wanted to bump this and ask again what Capitals fans are thinking about Orlov thus far. He seems to be creating out there but how has his overall game been?
I just wanted to bump this and ask again what Capitals fans are thinking about Orlov thus far. He seems to be creating out there but how has his overall game been?
Once that shot starts hitting the twine he will be all set. Love this kids moves and vision.
Where would you guys rate his offensive acumen as compared to say, Mike Green's first season? How about in his own zone? I figure that it would be best to ask the guys who have seen both players develop. At the same age, how would you compare the two in all zones?
Hmm....Green only had 68 shots in his first season of 70 games. He blew up next year putting 234 shots on goal. Orlov is trending slightly behind Green's first year pace. He seems hesitant to shoot right now. He'll gain more confidence and I expect will be encouraged to shoot a ton as half of our other D have a hard time getting off a decent point shot and he's got a cannon.
Hard to remember Green back then, but Orlov seems surprisingly safe in his own end.
Where would you guys rate his offensive acumen as compared to say, Mike Green's first season? How about in his own zone? I figure that it would be best to ask the guys who have seen both players develop. At the same age, how would you compare the two in all zones?
Doesn't have the foot speed that Green has but, IMHO, has the same offensive acumen. Its early but man he he see the offensive play before it happens. Always the thing one can't teach an offensive dman. His heady play is keeping him in the lineup. He might hit the rookie wall but we'll see.
He's still growing in his defensive coverage, and is already adapting to his second NHL system. You can see the mistakes, but playing with Hamrlik has actually helped cover those up (as shocking as that sentence sounds).
