It’s the beginning of August and the Washington Capitals still have not reached a deal with defenseman Dmitry Orlov. How important is Orlov to the Caps, and should they be worried that a deal still hasn’t been reached?

If there are any questions that are still facing the Washington Capitals this off-season, they would all probably have to do with still un-signed defenseman Dmitry Orlov. As of this date the Capitals and Orlov still have not reached a deal, and there is a little less than two months remaining until preseason starts for the Caps.

The 24 year old skater came off of his first full season with the Capitals, posting 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) and played in all 82 games. He did well enough in the regular season, but when it came to the post-season, his inexperience showed as he only had one point, an assist, and was benched during the Pittsburgh Penguins series after struggling early. For Orlov, it was a post-season he would probably want to forget.

Still, Orlov is young and has room to grow, and if the Capitals feel like that potential is there, then they will find a way to get a deal done. If not, then there exist other options that the Caps could pursue, most likely in bringing up a player from Hershey. For the Capitals, there is less to lose as opposed to Orlov, who does not have such leverage.

A lot depends on if a deal can get done soon, which is what I believe both the Caps and Dmitry Orlov hope to have happen before the season. For the Capitals, I think that they are cautiously optimistic about Orlov, and I assume that they will try to sign him to a one year type of deal, and Orlov will probably take what he can get if he wants to stay with Washington for this upcoming season.

Whatever the case is, I think that there shouldn’t be too much to be concerned about. The Washington Capitals and Dmitry Orlov will likely get something done before too long, if not at the start of the season.