Dmitry Orlov, the top defenseman on the NHL free agent market, has signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The deal is worth $7.75 million against the salary cap annually.
The two-year term is likely a function of the NHL salary cap, which remained essentially flat this season at $83.5 million. By the time Orlov is a free agent again in 2025, the cap is expected to be well north of $90 million.
Orlov has earned a reputation as a player who can bring offense and physicality to a team's blue line. He had 36 points in 66 games with the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins last season. In his career, Orlov has 273 points in 709 games.
He joins a deep defense corps in Carolina that features players including Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce under coach Rod Brind'Amour.
Dealt to the NHL-leading Boston Bruins on Feb. 23 along with forward Garnet Hathaway, Orlov was a key contributor down the stretch of their historic regular season. He posted three goals in 12 points in his first 11 games with Boston and routinely topped 20 minutes time on the ice during the regular season. Orlov's run with Boston came in the final stages of a six-year deal, originally signed with the Washington Capitals, that carried an average annual value of $5.1 million.
A 2009 second-round pick by the Capitals, Orlov will be 32 when he takes the ice for training camp this season.
