As the Boston Bruins approached the trade deadline in 2023, general manager Don Sweeney was going to be as active as he could be for his team, and rightfully so. That version of the Black and Gold ended up setting an NHL record for wins and points in a season.
Sweeney made a handful of trades by the deadline to improve his team, and on trade he made was with the Washington Capitals to acquire defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway. Orlov was a nice addition on the backend for the stretch run in the regular season and in the series against the Florida Panthers, but it wasn't enough to get the Black and Gold beyond the first round.
Following the season, Sweeney mentioned that he would like to keep Orlov, a common topic at the end of each season in all sports, and he ended up signing with the Carolina Hurricanes. After two years in Raleigh, he hit free agency on Tuesday, but it took until Thursday for him to find a new home, and he hit it big by waiting.
San Jose Sharks overpay for former Bruins defenseman Dmitry Orlov
After waiting out the market for two days, Orlov agreed to a two-year deal with the San Jose Sharks with a surprising AAV of $6.5 million. That's a huge AAV and an overpay for a club still in rebuild mode, although trying to get out of it with good young talent.
Orlov struggled in the playoffs for the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers, where he was on the ice for some big Florida goals, even having one deflect in off of him. The 33-year-old will likely be a bottom pairing for the Sharks, maybe a second, but if it is a third-pairing, then that's a lot of money for a bottom-pair defenseman.
The cap is going up over the years, but even though this is a two-year deal, it's still one that San Jose will regret. If you think the Bruins' deal for Tanner Jeannot was overpay, this is right up there, albeit, fewer years.