Orlov Signing Proves Canes Have Become "A Destination Place"

RALEIGH, NC. -Don Waddell said to his Hockey Operations staff on Friday that they might not have to come into the office on Saturday.

"It's going to be a quiet day," he recalled saying to them at

. "That kind of proved to be a little different."

Just over two hours after the opening of the NHL's free agency period at Noon ET, the Canes had landed the biggest fish in the pond.

Dmitry Orlov, widely regarded as the top available free agent this summer, signed on the dotted line, joining one of the best blue lines in the league.

"I've played against this team so many times. I know how good they are and it's hard to play against them," the 31-year-old defender

said via Zoom

, as he fielded questions in the hours after signing. "They are obviously a great team. At this time, the best decision in my life was to test free agency and I needed to make a good decision for me. I want to play on a good team and I think I made the right decision. I'm happy to be with Carolina right now."

After being selected in the second round of the 2009 draft by Washington, the left-handed shot played in over 12 seasons with the organization before being dealt to the Boston Bruins at this past season's trade deadline.

Able to choose his next destination after an unceremonious ending with the Presidents' Trophy winners, winning was a top priority for him.

"I want to be on a good team that has a big goal of getting to the end. It's important," he continued as he spoke on his aspirations.

But it wasn't just that Orlov was able to join a contending team either, the Canes were able to flex some of their cap space for him, rewarding him with an average annual value (AAV) of $7.75m.

Perhaps offering more in dollars than some other suiters, the money also may have allowed Carolina to land him for just the two years, whereas players of Orlov's quality can usually demand longer term.

"If we get him here and everything goes well, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to extend him at that point. You can't take your cap space with you," Waddell provided as the rationale. "We came up with the idea of going at him with a good number that we thought he could accept, for a shorter term. It fits what we need. He was excited about it, so it made sense to do it."

"He fits the style that Rod wants to play. He can join the rush and bring some offense on the power play. We spend less time in our zone than any other team in the NHL," Waddell furthered. "When you're talking about adding pieces to your hockey club, you want to talk about if they make your team better. Certainly, we feel that his abilities back there, that he does that for us."

Orlov, who ranks 11th in the NHL in takeaways by a defenseman since becoming a full-time NHLer for the 2015-16 season, now joins a blue line that features three (Slavin, Burns, and Pesce) of the ten men ahead of him.

"They have a good D-core, for sure. Good skaters, good team on offense, defensively," Orlov said of the cast he's joining. "I'm not coming to take someone's job, I just want to play my best game, win some games and get to playoff time... It's good when you have a lot of good players on the same team. You have to have a deep team too. Sometimes injuries happen. I think Carolina is a great opportunity to play well and win."

His 205 even strength points over the last eight seasons come in at 13th among all defensemen.

"I try to play both ways - defensively and offensively. I know Carolina is aggressive in the offensive zone," the defender elaborated when asked what he knows about the way the Canes play. "All five players come hard on the forecheck and it's fun to play with the puck in the offensive zone."

Having played against Carolina 27 times already in his NHL career, including in the 2023 Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley Stadium, there's no lack of familiarity between the two parties.

But in looking at the bigger picture, today's acquisition can be seen as a real testament to how far the organization has come.

Gone are the days of playoff droughts and spending money on free agents to reach the salary cap floor.

Today, the Canes landed the best available option.

"We used to chase players and overpay players. We've become a destination place," Waddell proudly stated. "We're getting those calls first. It's nice to be in that position, to be able to make your team better."

Thus far today, Orlov joins Jesper Fast, Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and Michael Bunting as players to put the pen to the ink, solidifying the fact that there are many reasons that players want to be a part of an organization poised to make another run at the Stanley Cup in 2024.

"The culture that Rod's built. Winning comes into it, but more importantly, the fans have come back. This place, we've all experienced it the last few years in the playoffs," Waddell shared as his reasons for why the franchise has been able to attract marquee talent. "The playoffs, it's a different mindset coming into this building. Not only as a player but for our fans. Visiting general managers have told me that it's the loudest building in the league. It's a great atmosphere. It's a combination of all of those things. The Triangle area is a great living environment. We have a lot of good things going for us."

And as Orlov prepares to be a part of all the above, his focus is doing what he can to ensure the on-ice results are there for the fans.

"I have to just bring everything on the ice to win. If we're going to play for each other, it's only going to help us."

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