Dmitry Orlov is active in the NHL free agency and will head to the San Jose shark where he spent his expenditure by making pick-up from the exemption wire to reach the pay floor on Thursday.
Orlov, who turned 34 later this month, has signed a two-year contract worth $13 million. The veteran defender, the Stanley Cup champion of his time in Washington, who spent the last two seasons in Carolina, counts $6.5 million against the cap through 2026-27.
Editor’s Pick
1 Related
“Dmitry is a powerful two-way defender that brings physicality and versatility on the ice,” Shark General Manager Mike Greer said in a statement. “He has a wealth of NHL experience in both the regular season and the playoffs, and his Stanley Cup Championship pedigree is a valuable addition to our team.
Last season, Orlov scored just six goals and 28 points before Carolina’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but he averaged 19:59 on-ice per game and landed on a plus-19 rating in the season. He has maintained his health and proved reliable in his two years of running at Raleigh, continuing his 82-game season from 2023-204, playing 76 games with the cane over the past season.
Orlov appeared in 867 games over the course of his career, scoring 327 points (76 goals, 251 assists). He also made ten straight trips into the playoffs dating back to the 2015-16 season.
Orlov is the latest addition to sharks that need to add $20 million in one form or another to reach a minimum of $70 million in a player’s salary. It counts the money owed to Captain Logan Couture, whose playing career ended due to debilitating injuries.
San Jose also claimed to have exempt St. Louis’ Nick Lady to add it to the new look blue line, including recently signed veteran John Klingberg, who won $4 million next season.
“Klingberg was the person we’ve been targeting for a while,” Greer said earlier this week. “We need someone who can do power plays. We’ve shown he’s healthier and healthier this year, so I think he’s even better off from his lower back for another year (surgery).
Leddy has one year left on the contract with a $4 million cap hit, with a real $3 million dollar. Orloff is San Jose, the only experienced defender to sign over 2026.
Greer said he didn’t expect to be involved in any of the big money free agents this summer, based on the shark youth movement and the building process.
This report uses information from the Associated Press.
