A reunion of former longtime Washington Capitals defensemen took place in Southern California on Wednesday night.
John Carlson, dealt by the Capitals to the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline last month, met up with his former Caps teammate, now San Jose Sharks defender Dmitry Orlov. The Ducks and Sharks met in Pacific Division action at San Jose’s SAP Center, with Orlov’s Sharks coming away 4-3 victors after superstar center Macklin Celebrini notched his fifth four-point game of the season.
After the contest, Carlson, Orlov, Orlov’s wife, Varvara Orlova, and Orlov’s son, Kirill, posed for a photo, which Varvara then posted to her Instagram Story.
Carlson and Orlov were teammates with the Capitals for parts of 12 seasons from 2011 to 2023, including the franchise’s lone Stanley Cup win in 2018. Orlov departed the Capitals at the 2023 trade deadline, getting traded to the Boston Bruins for draft picks.
The Russian blueliner then signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency, spending two seasons with the club, before signing with the Sharks in free agency this past summer. In 73 games for the Sharks, Orlov has recorded 32 points (3g, 29a) and is averaging 21:19 of ice time per game, second on the team only to Celebrini (21:24).
Carlson has now played nine games with the Ducks and recorded nine points (1g, 8a). He was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after notching seven assists in three games last week.
Orlov recorded an assist in Wednesday’s win, while Carlson was held off the scoresheet. The victory moved the Sharks one point away from drawing even with the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Ducks still hold the top spot in the Pacific Division with seven games remaining on their schedule. There is a chance that Carlson and Orlov could face off in the first round of the playoffs if the Ducks hold onto their division lead and the Sharks leap over both the Kings and Utah Mammoth for the first wild card spot.