Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Washington Capitals defense had it’s highs and mostly lows but their best defensive player throughout the 2021 season was easily Dmitry Orlov.
John Carlson had a down season. Brenden Dillon had an up and down year. Justin Schultz showed offensive upside while showing defensive question marks. Nick Jensen improved dramatically and Zdeno Chara helped improve the locker room.
While some of those players were good, none stood out the way Orlov did. Orlov was second on the team in goals among defensemen and was a beast when it came to advanced stats possession metrics.