Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Orlov scores big payday -- six years, $30.6 million from Caps

Washington Capitals v Toronto Maple Leafs - Game Four

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 19: Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Air Canada Centre on April 19, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Capitals defeated the Maple Leafs 5-4 to even series 2-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Brian MacLellan hasn’t been shy about writing big checks in the aftermath of another playoff disappointment.

On Friday, the Caps GM announced the club extended d-man Dmitry Orlov to the tune of $30.6 million over the next six years. That works out to an average annual cap hit of $5.1 million -- a major increase from the $2.575M he was making on his previous deal.

Orlov, 25, gets the payday after two good offensive campaigns. He scored eight goals and 29 points in ’15-16, and six goals and 33 points last year. It’s worth nothing he appeared in all 82 contests both times, and saw his TOI jump from 16:02 to 19:32.

There was also the looming specter of a possible deal coming from his native Russia. Orlov was reportedly in talks with KHL powerhouse CSKA Moscow.

The move makes Orlov Washington’s third highest-paid blueliner -- behind Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik -- and the only one signed beyond 2021. As mentioned above, it’s also the latest big money splash from MacLellan. Previously, he locked in T.J. Oshie with a monster eight-year, $46 million deal, one that carries a $5.75M hit.

It was understood the Russian rearguard was going to get a raise and while the AAV is a big jump, it’s in line with other contracts throughout the league. It actually comes in reasonably close to the seven-year, $31.5 million deal Toronto gave fellow Russian d-man Nikita Zaitsev, and that one came with Zaitsev having less experience at the NHL level.