With just 44 days remaining until the Capitals’ first preseason game, defenseman Dmitry Orlov has yet to re-sign. This offseason, Orlov got married, celebrated his 25th birthday–and elected not to file for arbitration. However, a Tuesday morning press conference revealed the state of Orlov’s contract talks and the role the team envisions for him.

Capitals coaching staff expressed little doubt that Orlov would be re-signed this offseason.

Neither Trotz nor Reirden sounded worried about Orlov eventually re-signing. “It’s probably just timing, dollars, length,” Trotz said. — Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) August 30, 2016

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Orlov spent the majority of his 2015-16 season on the third pairing. Despite Orlov’s controversial performance down the stretch, Barry Trotz indicated his desire to give Orlov a more substantial role for the upcoming season.

Trotz on Orlov: “I envision him playing with a Niskanen or a Carlson, probably more prime minutes against more guys.” Mentioned PP and PK. — Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) August 30, 2016

Trotz says #Capitals and Orlov are still talking. Trotz reiterated that he sees Orlov taking on a bigger role. "Orly has a great opp here." — Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) August 30, 2016

Trotz also addressed how he plans to increase Orlov’s role–namely, by pairing Orlov with a stable partner.

Trots said he wants Orlov paired with Niskanen & Carlson on top 4 D #CapitalsTalk — Jill Sorenson (@JillCSN) August 30, 2016

Todd Reirden believes pairing Orlov with right partner will help cut down on mistakes, highlight strengths #CapitalsTalk — Jill Sorenson (@JillCSN) August 30, 2016



Here’s Orlov’s contract history, courtesy of CapFriendly.

SEASON CAP HIT AAV S. BONUSES NHL SALARY 2014-15 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $100,000 $1,750,000 2015-16 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $0 $2,250,000

Should the Caps re-sign Orlov, he’ll likely see an increase in both the salary and length of his contract.

Headline photo: Justin K. Aller