59 – Number of days remaining until the Caps open the 2014-15 season. But it’s also…
…the number of shots on goal by Dmitry Orlov in 2013-14, a career high and the highest shots-per-game rate (1.09) he’s posted over his three seasons of NHL appearances.
While Orlov did establish those new career highs, his shot rate was just the sixth-highest among Caps blueliners, narrowly edging out John Erskine. In fact, over the course of his young career, he is averaging less than one shot per game – one of just 49 defensemen in the NHL to do so while appearing in at least 100 games over that three-year span (a list which also includes Karl Alzner and newest Caps’ blueliner Brooks Orpik).
Just more evidence to suggest that, while the common narrative around Orlov has been that he’s an offensive-minded defenseman, that may not actually be the case… at least by this metric.