Both Ovechkin, Orlov Plan To Return To U.S. In Next Few Weeks For Capitals

The Washington Capitals kick off training camp in the next couple of weeks, and as of right now, Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov are on schedule to arrive back from Russia in time for the start of camp.

Both Ovechkin and Orlov plan to return to the United States in the coming weeks, either at the end of August or in early September.

At the Ovi Cyber Cup, Ovechkin told MatchTV that he plans to arrive in Washington, D.C. in either “early September or late August.” He said he’s excited to continue working toward Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record and wants to to secure another championship.

“In the rest of my career, of course, I would like to win another Stanley Cup,” Ovechkin said. “It’s more important than personal records.”

Orlov also mentioned to sports.ru that he expects to return to the States in the same timeframe as his captain. He is also happy with the work he did in the offseason.

“I’m satisfied with my current form… preparations are going according to plan,” Orlov said. “I’ll fly to the United States somewhere at the end of August. There are no problems.”

READ MORE ON WHN: Ovechkin, Orlov Discuss Samsonov’s Departure From Washington Capitals

Some players, including Ivan Fedotov and Kirill Kaprizov, have gotten into recent trouble in Russia, leading to concern surrounding the security of NHLers overseas. Authorities detained Fedotov outside a rink in St. Petersburg for allegedly trying to dodge his required military duty and sent him to an Arctic naval base to serve. Meanwhile, Kaprizov was reportedly wanted for buying a fake military ID card. He returned safely to the States after roughly a month of uncertainty.

There hasn’t been too much concern for the Capitals, though, about Ovechkin and Orlov being able to return for 2022-23. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Alexeyev remained in North America this summer. Ivan Miroshnichenko was in North America but is currently back in Russia preparing to return for Omsk. Fellow prospect Bogdan Trineyev will start 2021-22 for Dynamo Moscow after spending time in Hershey last year.

“I haven’t heard anything,” MacLellan said with regard to potential trouble leaving Russia. “As far as I know, there’s no concern about them getting back to North America.”