BRIGHTON, Mass. — Dmitry Orlov’s time in a Boston Bruins uniform could last a total of only 30 games.
Orlov is just one of the many decisions the Bruins have ahead of them with the veteran defenseman entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent just like the other additions Boston acquired at this year’s NHL trade deadline.
And in the aftermath of a crushing Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Orlov doesn’t know how things will shake out in free agency.
“Right now, it’s dark. What I’m going to do, I don’t know,” Orlov said Tuesday during exit interview day at Warrior Ice Arena. “I still don’t know what my plan is. If I fly back to Washington or stay here. It’s a lot of things. Obviously, I’m going to have to make a decision. Where I’m going to be and I need to talk to my family. Figure out from there.”
Orlov spent the first 10-plus seasons of his career with the Capitals before Washington dealt him to Boston mid-season. It would be difficult for Orlov to go back to the Capitals in free agency after they traded him, but he isn’t closing the door on that option, either.
“We’ll see. It’s tough. Probably, yeah,” Orlov said if he would consider a reunion. “They’re going to talk to my agent. How I see it if they trade me, I don’t think it’s going to work out. But we’ll see.”
Orlov also spoke highly of the brief time he has spent thus far in Boston, too. The 5-foot-11, 214-pound defenseman made an immediate impact on the blue line for the Bruins, totaling four goals and 13 assists in the regular season before tallying another eight assists in the postseason.
“It was great from the start,” Orlov said. “I said once in one interview when I got here, but I just enjoy hockey. … I played in Russia as a grown up and as a kid, too. You still enjoy hockey. It’s important. It doesn’t matter what age. You still want to feel like a kid. You have to have that feeling in your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re 20 or 40 years old. It’s important. I enjoyed this time.”
Orlov understands quite well the situation he is in as the Bruins depart much earlier than expected for the summer. At 31 years old and the miles of 12 seasons spent in the NHL piling up, Orlov knows this might be his last, and best, chance to cash in.
“It’s basically, if you look at it, my last contract,” Orlov said.
