SAN JOSE -- Dmitry Orlov was looking for a "fresh start" in his NHL career and thinks he has found one with the San Jose Sharks.
The 33-year-old defenseman, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) on July 3, said he needed to turn the page after playing the past two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he signed as a free agent on July 1, 2023.
"When I signed in Raleigh you expect one thing. When [your play is not] showing up or the coach is not believing you, and it's always the bottom [pair]," Orlov said. "Everybody has their own story and own career. So I learned on my way, and I just need to be more focused as an older guy, more experienced. I expect one thing, but you need to just focus day by day, basically. You cannot look too far. It's what I did, and I think it was a mistake.
"Right now, it's a new chapter, a new fresh start for me with a new team, a young team, too. So it's going to be a new experience for me."
Orlov, who won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2017-18 and has been to the postseason the past 10 seasons with the Capitals, Boston Bruins and Hurricanes, understands that the Sharks are a work in progress, building around a young core of players, including forward Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"I know it's kind of a rebuild, but [we] have a lot of good young players. For me I just want to change a little bit, [after the] last two years, it wasn't easy for me mentally," Orlov said. "So, I just tried to move far away with a new team and a new life for me. It's going to be interesting, and I'm actually pretty excited for that."
But he's coming to a team that hasn't made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season and has finished last in the Pacific Division the past two seasons.
"I talked to the coaches and GM a little bit about when they're going to get [to the playoffs]," Orlov said. "When you get there, you're going to know more systems [and] what they expect from you. You just need to bring it and help young players."
One player Orlov spoke to about the Sharks is defenseman Brent Burns, his teammate the past two seasons in Carolina who played for San Jose from 2011-22.
"I texted Brent Burns, and he gave me good advice about the organization. [That] helped me to understand what's going on," Orlov said. "He said he loves it. The area. The organization. For kids, too. He's a family guy, and I have my wife and a kid who grows fast every year. He loves hockey, so [I wanted to] make sure we're going to find a good school for him, so he enjoys it."
Orlov, who has played 867 NHL regular-season games and 107 in the postseason, brings plenty of experience to a team that is being led by young stars like Celebrini, 19, William Eklund, 22, Will Smith, 20, and possibly Michael Misa, 18, the No. 2 pick by the Sharks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
"When I came into the League the game changed already. You could see these young players, they have so much skill, so much speed at that age," Orlov said. "It's going to be fun for me to see them in practice. [Seeing] what they can do, [and making] sure they bring it at game time too. It is the first time I'm going to be an older player in the game. I'm actually pretty excited to see what's going to happen and make sure we have fun."
