Dmitry Orlov hasn’t missed the playoffs in a decade.
So coming to the San Jose Sharks — the 33-year-old defenseman inked a two-year, $13 million contract ($6.5 million AAV) on Jul. 1 — will be a bit of a culture shock for the 2018 Stanley Cup champion.
Orlov, in a media availability with local media, also noted that he’s never played on the West Coast. The left-hander became a star with the Washington Capitals from 2011 to 2023, before getting traded to the Boston Bruins. He’s toiled for the Carolina Hurricanes the last two years.
Orlov shared this thoughts about the new challenge in front of him, what went wrong in Carolina, the good word that Brent Burns put in about San Jose, and more.
Dmitry Orlov, on why he chose the San Jose Sharks:
I’ve been long enough in this league and tried to figure out what’s best for me, for my family. I talked to my family, because it’s far away…I used to always play [in the] Eastern Conference. Right now it’s [a] move to [the Western Conference], it’s different and we’re actually pretty excited.
I know it’s kind of a rebuild, but you have a lot of good, young players. Obviously for me, I just want to change a little bit. Especially, the last two years, it wasn’t easy for me mentally, so I just tried to move far away. With [a] new team [comes] basically a [new] life for me, lifestyle, more travel, it’s going to be interesting. I’m actually pretty excited for that.
Orlov, on why the last two years were difficult for him:
When I signed in Raleigh, you expect one thing. When you’re not showing up, you can’t play or coach is not believing you…I just need to be more focused as an older guy, more experienced. I expect one thing, but you need to just focus on day-by-day, basically. You cannot look too far [ahead]. It’s what I’ve done, and I think it was a mistake. So right now, it’s new chapter, new fresh start for me, new team, and young team too. It’s going to be new experience for me. I will learn a lot too.
Orlov, on the California weather:
My family lived, the last couple years, back and forth [between] Raleigh and Florida. Especially I’m from Siberia, you always dream about [living] in a warm spot, you know. We’ve got [a] great opportunity in San Jose. Hopefully [we’re] gonna like it and enjoy it.
Orlov, on moving from a playoff team to the San Jose Sharks:
It’s going to be interesting, obviously. I talked to coaches, GM and stuff a little bit. When [you] get there, you’re gonna know more [of the] system, what they expect from you. You just need to bring it and help young players.
Brent Burns, he gave me good advice about the organization. It’s kind of helped me out to understand what’s going on. Every year in your life, you have to learn something, doesn’t matter. Off ice, on ice, or different things in the world, you know. I’m excited for that, and just need to figure out how to move everything from Raleigh to San Jose, but I think it’s gonna be easy, and I think all the team is gonna help me out.
Orlov, on the advice he was given by Brent Burns:
He said he loves it, the area, the organization. Kids too. He’s a family guy. I have my wife, kid too, who’s growing fast every year. He loves hockey, and [we’re going to] make sure we find a good school for him. You want to win as a player, and for sure, we’ll try to get some wins. [I] hope we’re going to get confidence, we’re going to get some help from each other. Because it’s a team sport, it’s never easy.
Orlov, on what free agency was like for him:
I think it’s always [stressful], you know? You try to figure it out, you’re waiting just for the calls. If you talk to the agent, ‘what’s going on, what’s the rumors say?’ Just waiting, someone is going to offer you something, and then they start negotiation. I start talking to my wife, what’s best for us, what we’re gonna do. If I’m alone, you know, it’s a different story. But when you have a family, you have to make better for yourself and also include your family. So it’s was our decision, and yeah, we’re pretty excited to move to San Jose.
Watch the full interview here