ARLINGTON, VA — Dmitry Orlov spent more than a decade of his career with the Washington Capitals. Starting Tuesday night, he’ll be looking to end their season.
Orlov, now in his second season with the Carolina Hurricanes, is set to compete against his former teammates in the second round of the playoffs, returning to a familiar city on the other end of the ice.
More than two years removed from his time in DC, Orlov has played nine regular-season games against the Capitals since leaving, but Tuesday will mark the first time the Caps go up against their old friend in the postseason.
While the two sides have plenty of history, John Carlson said he’s treating the series like any other matchup.
“You’re worried about yourself, and that’s literally it: your team and what you’re trying to do out there,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it was my brother out there.”
Orlov and the Caps may not share any blood ties, but they aren’t too far off. After Washington drafted him in 2009, Orlov played the first 11 seasons of his NHL career in DC, developing from a fresh-faced rookie into a key part of the Capitals’ defensive corps.
His Capitals tenure culminated with the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win in 2018. Orlov recorded eight points (3g, 5a) in 24 games that postseason, including an assist on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Game 6 goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins that finally got the Capitals past the second round.
Seven years after Orlov helped Washington beat the second-round curse, he’ll be the one standing in the way of the Eastern Conference Final.
“You never know how life could end up, you know?” Orlov told The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette. “And right now, I’m on a different side. I want to win. It’s going to be an important series for me as a person.”
Orlov’s time in Washington came to an end when the Caps sent him to the Boston Bruins ahead of the 2023 deadline, trading him as part of a package deal that ultimately helped them acquire Rasmus Sandin from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though Orlov appeared open to re-signing with the Capitals in free agency that summer, he ultimately inked a two-year deal with the Hurricanes.
Much of Washington’s roster has turned over since Orlov’s departure, but he’s stayed connected to his old friends on the team. He reunited with longtime teammate and close friend Evgeny Kuznetsov when the latter spent time on the Hurricanes in 2024, and more recently spent part of his vacation with Alex Ovechkin over the 4 Nations Face-Off break this February, meeting up in Miami and spotting dolphins on a boat ride together during the time off. But while his off-ice relationships have endured, that won’t change anything once the puck drops.
Asked if it would be strange to compete against Orlov, Ovechkin responded, “No. Regular. Nothing special.”
And getting past Orlov and the Hurricanes won’t be an easy feat. In 2024-25, Orlov ranked third among Carolina’s defensemen in both scoring, notching 28 points (6g, 22a) in 76 games, and time on ice, averaging 20 minutes per game. His solid physical presence will also likely be a boon when he goes toe-to-toe with Washington.
After playing with him for so long, Tom Wilson knows Orlov will be a formidable opponent in the series.
“I know exactly what he’s going to give to me,” he said Monday. “It’s going to be all-out compete and all-out battle. That’s just who he is and that’s who he was for us, and that’s who he is for Carolina. So I’m sure a lot of guys in this room are going to be bumping into him. And he’s not a guy that’s going to stray away. He’s going to be doing the exact same thing back to us.”
The Capitals and Hurricanes will meet at Capital One Arena for Game 1 on Wednesday at 7 pm.
