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Brooks Orpik will return against Kings

By Dave Stevenson

Mar 19, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Capitals defeated the Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Capitals defeated the Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik appears to be ready to return against the Kings on Tuesday evening after missing 40 games with a lower-body injury

The Washington Capitals are currently leading the NHL in points and have the league’s best record. They’ve done this despite not having defenseman Brooks Orpik since Nov. 10 due to a lower-body injury. He has missed 40 games to this point but it appears that Orpik is ready to return against the Kings.

The Capitals will be starting Orpik off on the third pairing with fellow defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Considering how well defensemen Nate Schmidt and John Carlson have played together, it’s a wise decision by Capitals head coach Barry Trotz to ease him back into the lineup. On the third pairing, Orpik could spend more time on the penalty kill, which is perhaps where he has the most value.

Getting Orpik back is huge for the Capitals. They have done well without him, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t missed. The Capitals have puck-movers but they have missed Orpik’s steady play in the defensive zone and they’ve lacked a physical presence without him. Orpik returning should make their penalty kill even better and give them even more defensive depth. Considering how deep the Capitals were even without him, that’s scary for the rest of the league.

Orpik has a goal and two assists in 13 games so far this season while averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game. It’s likely his ice time will shrink at first and gradually grow until he shakes the cobwebs in his game loose. Missing 40 games is hard on anyone and it takes at least a game or two for players to truly get back into game shape.

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