Carolina Hurricanes quiet man Dmitry Orlov looks to to turn up the noise on the season

Dmitry Orlov is the quiet man in the room.

The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is friendly. A Russian, he speaks English well, if in low tones. He leaves much of the locker room banter, the noise, to others.

Seth Jarvis is all about banter. Jordan Martinook can bring it, too. Orlov often is one of the last players off the ice after practices, the room having mostly cleared out.

Away from the rink, Orlov said he lives in the Ridgewood neighborhood, just a few minutes from PNC Arena. It’s older, sedate, and seemingly more in keeping with his personality.

It’s Orlov’s first season with the Canes. He was the biggest, most expensive addition in the offseason, signing a two-year contract that pays him $7.75 million a season, the highest salary among the Canes’ D-men.

‘Weight off’ Orlov’s shoulders

It has been something of a slow go for Orlov, but things could be speeding up. He scored his first goal of the season Saturday in the Canes’ 4-3 comeback road victory over the New York Islanders, won on Aho’s goal in overtime, and has three points in his last four games.

Orlov’s goal in transition, off a setup pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, pulled the Canes within 3-2 in the third period. He was surrounded on the ice, breaking into a big smile, and had another when tossed the black T-shirt Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour hands out after a win as a team award.

Defenseman Jalen Chatfield had scored the first of four consecutive goals for the Canes, also getting his first of the season. Then, Orlov with his first.

“It was nice to see both those two guys connect and especially ‘Orly’ as the newcomer,” Brind’Amour said after the game. “I think that was a big weight off his shoulders.”

Trading places ... again

Before leaving for the road games against the New York Rangers and Islanders, Orlov took a few minutes to reflect on fitting in, finding his place. He’s a veteran pro, playing parts of 11 seasons with the Washington Capitals and winning the 2018 Stanley Cup, but this was a new team with a coach who likes things done in a certain way in his system.

Orlov, 32, was traded to Boston at the deadline last season, putting in 23 games and then the playoffs with the Bruins. Coming to the Canes in free agency? Not the same.

“It was a little different for me changing teams,” Orlov said in an N&O interview. “At the trade deadline, you know, it was different than me coming here, where I had more time to get to know everyone and know the system a little bit.

“It’s been good and I wish I had played a little better, but it’s always a process. You do try to be more focused at the start of the season because of its importance, especially being with a new team.

“But it’s still a process and I know I have to get better in some areas. It’s not going to be perfect every time, you know, but more often than not if you do things the right way it will help us in the future”

When he was with the Caps, Orlov had many a tense battle with the Canes. There was the memorable 2019 showdown in the opening round of the playoffs, the Canes taking Game 7 in double overtime on Brock McGinn’s goal.

Orlov was just a few feet away, chasing after Aho behind the net, when McGinn scored. He had one of the best views in the building when the Caps’ season came to an end.

“For sure, they were always hard to play against,” Orlov said. “There’s a lot of pressure in all three zones and a lot of skating. You always had to expect that. It was never easy to play against the Hurricanes.”

After his brief stint with the Bruins, which ended with a jarring first-round playoff loss to Florida, Orlov tested the market in free agency. Soon, he was Carolina bound, taking part in some of the early informal summer skates at the practice facility with his new teammates.

‘Strong as a bull’

Orlov was paired with Tony DeAngelo in preseason and then early in the regular season before defenseman Brett Pesce was injured and caused some changes. He played some with Chatfield, then was back paired with DeAngelo the past couple of games.

DeAngelo calls Orlov “strong as a bull” and someone who can do many things well. Orlov has a goal and four assists in the Canes’ 7-5-0 start, with a minus-8 plus/minus rating that can be one of the measures of even strength play.

Orlov was minus-5 in the third game of the season, a 6-3 loss at Anaheim, and has shown signs of frustration at times but has steadied his play — he’s plus-3 in the past five games.

Orlov said Andrei Svechikov, while younger, has helped with his transition to the Canes. Svechnikov was around the room while rehabbing from his knee surgery in March and the Russian forward now is back and playing.

“For sure, hundred percent, it’s always nice to have someone to speak your language on the team,” Orlov said. “It’s nice to talk to someone about what’s going on in Russia. It’s different, American life. I feel like mentally we’re a little bit different, you know, with different things.”

Orlov smiled when asked about playing against Svechnikov in the past..

“Obviously, he’s strong,” Orlov said. “A good IQ is good for hockey and he has it. And he’s not scared to play physical.”

Orlov is not one to back off or back down, either. At 5-11 and 214 pounds, he’s built like a fullback and willing to mix it up, if necessary.

In the Oct. 24 game at Tampa Bay, Orlov and the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos got into a shoving match, and Orlov was triple-teamed by Stamkos, Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel. He gave as good as he took.