Dmitry Orlov: 4 best destinations in NHL free agency

When Dmitry Orlov was traded from the Washington Capitals to the Boston Bruins ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, he was acquired by the best regular season team in the history of the sport. But after a stunning collapse against the Florida Panthers in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the smooth-skating Russian has a difficult decision to make.

It will be difficult for the Bruins to re-sign him unless David Krejci and/or Patrice Bergeron retires, and a few of their UFAs decide to leave. He's made it clear he would be interested in a potential reunion with the Capitals for 2023-24 and beyond, the only team he has known besides the Bruins and the franchise where he won a Stanley Cup in 2018.

The 29-year-old recently said he was excited about the possibility of exploring free agency, though:

“This hasn't happened to me. I won't say that it's scary, but I really look forward to when the market opens, negotiations begin…I would like a long contract, it gives stability and peace of mind. But there are many nuances, you can't take everything into account,” Orlov told Russia Sport-Express in early June.

Keeping in mind that the Bruins may try hard to lock him up long-term, here are four landing spots for Dmitry Orlov in NHL free agency.

4. Boston Bruins

Although things didn't work out for the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Dmitry Orlov absolutely wasn't the problem in Beantown. Boston is reportedly “obsessed” with Orlov to the point where they like him more than they like Hampus Lindholm, a player they may have buyer's remorse on.

If Lindholm ends up being moved, there will likely be space to re-sign Orlov. Nick Foligno and Tyler Bertuzzi would also free up space if they decide to move on in free agency. And the decisions of Krejci and Bergeron will also be paramount.

Although the betting odds are slim for an Orlov return to the Bruins, if they offer him the long-term contract he wants with the right dollar value attached, he could consider staying in Massachusetts.

3. Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken were one win away from advancing to their first Western Conference Final in just their second year of existence. Like the Vegas Golden Knights before them, this team has been an incredible expansion story.

Now that the team has gone through the heartbreak of losing a Game 7 in the postseason, look for this team to be back even better in 2023-24. The Kraken could be on the hunt for a left-shot, top-four defenseman this summer, with Carson Soucy as a pending unrestricted free agent. Bringing in Orlov to replace him would be massive, and would shore up a D core that already features Vince Dunn, Justin Schultz and Adam Larsson.

Whether or not Orlov would be at all interested in playing for Seattle is up in the air,  but they should be a playoff team next year and could offer him the long-term contract that he covets in free agency.

2. Los Angeles Kings

The LA Kings could also benefit from adding Dmitry Orlov to the roster, especially with their young talent on the defensive end. They've lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first-round of back-to-back postseasons, and Orlov would be a perfect player to add to their top-four to help them win a few rounds as their young team begins to mature.

He could be an immediate fit on the top pairing with Drew Doughty, or also a candidate to play second-pairing minutes with Matt Roy. Either way, the Kings' D-core would look significantly better with Orlov in the fold.

He could also be a potential powerplay defenseman in Los Angeles, an area where the Kings have struggled in recently years. With Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty aging but still leading the squad, the time is now for the Kings to make a playoff push in 2023-24 and look to win a few rounds for the first time since they captured the Stanley Cup in 2014.

1. New York Rangers

The New York Rangers have had basically the same blueline for the last three years, led by Adam Fox, captain Jacob Trouba, K'Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren. But it hasn't seemed to be working, especially this season when the team was unable to defeat the New Jersey Devils in the playoffs even with the services of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Orlov's ability to move the puck and create offense from the back end would be a valuable addition to the Rangers' roster. They need to improve the way they move the puck, as their game looked stagnant and downright bad at times against the Devils. Orlov would be a great fit as the team continues its upward trajectory towards a Stanley Cup.

The bottom line is, Dmitry Orlov was an excellent rental for the Boston Bruins, scoring 17 points in 23 regular-season games and adding eight assists against the Panthers in a seven-game series. Although he doesn't come cheap, whatever team signs him will be much better off on both sides of the puck, and he has the pedigree with a Stanley Cup championship under his belt.