In an effort to paper over their extremely thin blue line as they wait for their prospects to mature, the San Jose Sharks have signed Dmitry Orlov to a two-year contract with an AAV of $6.5M. In addition to Nick Leddy being added off waivers and the signing of John Klingberg a couple days ago, the Sharks are adding some veteran names while guys like Luca Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson get some more experience in lower leagues.

Orlov spent the last two years in Carolina, scoring 12 goals and tallying 54 points in a total of 158 games. He turns 34 years old later this month so there is definite concern of age-related decline hitting.

When Orlov is at his best, he frequently jumps into the play and is a key figure in the transition game by either getting pucks out of the defensive zone or into the offensive zone. He is also very solid defensively, though because he's in the attack so much, there are moments where he'll get caught out of position. That isn't a huge problem skating for a team like Washington or Carolina, but for this San Jose team, given where they are in their rebuild phase, that could lead to a lot of dangerous shots for his goalies to face.

On the bright side, it does give the Sharks someone who can move the puck from the blue line, something they had very little of in 2024-25. That should help their forwards as they go on the attack. Additionally, the lack of power-play options on the blue line for San Jose means that Orlov, despite not getting much PP time in Carolina, is at least in contention for top power-play minutes with his new team. He was a guy that got some secondary time in his years with Washington, so it's in his toolkit, and we saw last year how the additional ice time and PP role elevated Jake Walman's fantasy value. Orlov got a good amount of even-strength time with the Hurricanes, but a consistent top PP role would make him a 40-point threat with the Sharks. He will have to contend with Klingberg and the prospects for that spot, but it's at least a possibility.

This is a case where Orlov is leaving a very good team to go to a very bad team but it could be a big positive for his fantasy value. If all goes well, there is a potential 10-goal, 40-point, 130-shot, 120-hit season here. He would need a bit of luck, but there is offensive firepower up front for him to play with, and a regular PP role is at least a possibility.

Who This Helps

Dmitry Orlov

San Jose Forwards

Alexander Nikishin

Who This Hurts

Shakir Mukhamadullin

John Klingberg

Henry Thrun