Former Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov took the next step in his career this summer, signing a two-year, $13 million contract with the San Jose Sharks in free agency. The 33-year-old blueliner joins up with a Western Conference team for the first time in his 13-year NHL career after spending his last two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.

While speaking to San Jose reporters on Zoom, Orlov did not speak highly of his experience in Carolina.

“When I signed in Raleigh, you expect one thing, and when you not showing up or the coach is not believing you, it’s always the bottom [pair],” Orlov said per NHL.com’s Max Miller. “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 done, 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. I will learn a lot, too, from that.”

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour regularly limited Orlov to third-pairing minutes, a sharp shift in role for a player the Capitals had heavily relied on for a decade. During the 2023-24 season, Orlov played just 17:18 time-on-ice per game, his lowest total since the 2015-16 season (16:01) under Barry Trotz with the Caps.

Orlov is set to take on a bigger role atop the bottom-feeding Sharks’ blueline, likely playing significant roles at all strengths. He will be the club’s only active player making over $6 million next season, with no other defenseman making over $4 million.

“I know it’s kind of a rebuild, but have a lot of good young players,” Orlov said. “For me, I just want to change a little bit, last two years, it wasn’t easy for me mentally. 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.”

Orlov will be one of the team’s oldest members as the rebuilding Sharks continue to develop their young players. Three of San Jose’s top four scorers — Macklin Celebrini (18), Will Smith (19), and William Eklund (21) — are under 22. Orlov will also get the opportunity to serve as mentor and confidant for two highly-touted, young Russian players, defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, stepping into a role Alex Ovechkin once played for him.

“When I came into the league, the game changed already,” Orlov said. “You could see these young players, they have so much skill, so much speed at that age. It’s going to be fun for me to see them in practice. 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.”

Orlov will head into the 2025-26 season having played 867 career NHL games and recording 327 points (76g, 251a).