In a move to shake up the lineup to start scoring more and get back on the winning track, the Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Dmitry Orlov from the Hershey Bears. The call for Orlov is to spark the blue line for the Capitals in the absence of Mike Green.
Orlov was one of the final three players during preseason that was fighting for the last roster spot at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately he did not make the cut and has been playing at the AHL level for the first quarter of the season. The 20-year-old Russian has posted nine points (4 G, 5 A) in 15 games for the Bears. He is tied for the team lead in points for a defenseman.
Orlov will get his first NHL start tomorrow night when the Capitals take on the Phoenix Coyotes back in Washington.
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Clifford says:
November 21, 2011 at 1:11 pm
No, I wouldn’t infer from the Caps’ sloppiness with the puck and giveaways in their own end that Mike Green is the cure to what ails them on the forecheck and the back check. HARDLY!!
You’re dead right, Matt. I’ve never thought of Mike Green as a rock-ribbed defensive defenseman for one reason: HE ISN’T!!!! Like you,I can’t help but agree that Mike’s a gifted offensive player, and if I was Double-B, I’d cut my losses with that guy as a blue-liner and convert him to a forward, where his defensive lapses would be more forgivable.. What the Capitals need–as I’ve often said–is a new coach. Because either this guy can’t coach, or if he can, his players aren’t listening to him. And it’s hard to imagine the Caps making these same stupid-assed mistakes over and over and over and over again if they were led by, say, Jacques Lemaire or Scotty Bowman or Toe Blake…
But Hey, what do I know??
Clifford
Santa Monica