Sharks sign Dmitry Orlov; claim Nick Leddy off waivers
The San Jose Sharks added two key veterans to their blue line on Thursday, signing Dmitry Orlov out of free agency and claiming Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
The agreement with Orlov will see the veteran Russian defenseman paid $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
The moves add $10.5 million in salary cap commitments to the team’s balance sheet, a much needed infusion of cost given the fact that the team entered the offseason far below the league’s salary floor.
Orlov, 33, was considered to be one of the top UFA defensemen on the market. He’s coming off a six-goal, 28-point season with the Carolina Hurricanes in his second campaign with the club. Prior to that, Orlov split the 2022-23 season with both the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins, where he set a personal high of 36 points.
Drafted 55th overall by the Capitals in 2009, Orlov made his NHL debut with the team two years later. He was a big part of the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2018, his only Cup to date. Throughout his 14-season NHL career, Orlov has 76 goals and 327 points, along with 351 penalty minutes, in 867 games.
Internationally, Orlov has represented Russia in three World Championships, tallying 13 points. He won a gold medal in 2014, and has three bronze medals ever since.
At 34 years of age, Leddy appeared in 31 games this past regular season, averaging 18:40 of time on ice while scoring two goals and dishing out three assists for five points to go with a plus-6 rating.
As recently as the 2023-2024 campaign, Leddy was a viable contributor to the Blues, as he skated in all 82 games, produced 28 points, posted a plus-14 and logged an average of 22:22 on the ice per game.
Leddy became a Stanley Cup champion in 2013 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The No. 16 overall pick by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL entry draft, Leddy has also spent time with the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings.