Dmitry Orlov: In Boston, my perspective changes. The system surprised me a lot.

Two weeks ago, amazing news came from overseas: Russian defender Dmitry Orlov was transferred from Washington to Boston. Everyone was shocked – both the fans on both sides of the Atlantic and the Russian players from Washington, led by Sasha Ovechkin, and Orlov himself, who found out about the swap on the way to the next game.

However, Orlov’s “vertical take-off” in the new team turned out to be even more surprising. Unlike the more defensive Washington, Boston’s coaches are more offensively focused. Dmitry was introduced to the new system, transferred from the left flank to the right, and an explosion broke out – in five matches in the new team, Orlov scored 9 (3 + 6) points! The American press immediately started comparing our defender to Boston legend Bobby Orr because their names match. And the league recognized Orlov as the NHL’s First Star of the Week, something that hasn’t happened to him in 11 seasons in Washington.

To that should be added that Boston leads the regular season standings by a huge margin, and Washington is in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the first time in nine years. So did Orlov lose because of the sudden trade? This “” decided to find out from Dmitry himself.

“It is clear that there were disagreements with Washington on the future contract”

– I was recognized as the best player of the week for the first time in my career, – said Orlov. I didn’t expect that, to be honest. In the first two weeks after the trade, it was emotionally difficult to imagine being on a different team after 11 years in Washington.

The swap happened very unexpectedly, even though I knew it was possible. I was driving to the game against Anaheim, the coach called me and said I wasn’t playing today, that’s when I realized something was wrong. Then the general manager from Washington called me and told me that I wouldn’t play today because I could be traded. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the deal to happen or not. But I was still going to go to the game, put on a costume. And then the general manager called me back, said I was leaving for Boston. The state was in shock. The fact that we were traded to Boston with forward Garnet Hathaway, I learned only two hours later. It was already easier to fly together to a new club, because I didn’t know the guys from Boston at all.

How did Ovechkin react to your departure?

– Everyone was in shock, no one expected it. The guys came up to me, we sat down and talked. It was sad to leave. However, it is my second home, and in America in general the first.

– Is it true that during negotiations with Washington you did not agree on the terms of the future contract – you wanted to sign him for six years, but the club offered you three? If you agreed, there would be no exchange?

– This question is better to ask Brian, the general manager of “Washington”. It’s his job to recruit players. I only spoke to my agent. Therefore, it is difficult for me to explain the club’s decision. After all, no one told me about it. But it is clear that since my exchange, we have had disagreements on my future contract.

– You have a house in Washington. Are you going to negotiate with the capital club this summer? Or is it amazing?

Let’s wait for summer. For now, I hope to play hockey for another four months.

– You wonder how the game of “Washington” changed after your departure?

– I’m glad they started letting Alekseev play more. It took a long time to start doing this. Alexander in “Washington” sat on the bench for too long. Personally, I was against it. Thank God he’s playing now. I told him when I left: “Now there are places in the team that must be taken.”

“Washington may not make the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Is this a tragedy for the team?

– Everyone wants to play the playoffs, there were meetings about it when we lost. Washington still has a chance.

“In attack, it’s more practical for me to play on the right”

– Did you have any fears while looking at the composition of Boston? It seemed that the defense there was already carefully equipped.

– When you move to a new club, you always worry, you never know how everything will turn out. Now the coaches are showing the video, myself trying to talk more on the ice with my partners, c’est la vie. I came to Boston not to take the place of someone else, but to be useful and to prove to the coach that if he bets on me, it is the right choice.

– In five games for Boston, you scored nine points. You’ve never had such an efficient game. How can you explain that?

“Actually, I don’t know. Boston is a good team that is having a great season. I always try to be as helpful as possible. Here it turned out that he scored a lot of points. But I don’t really focus on it. I just try to go to every game like the last, because I don’t know what will happen this summer. I don’t even know how much playing time I will have. But thank you Boston for helping me adapt quickly. I’m lucky to be here now, God forbid keep winning.

– Do you feel comfortable on the right flank? Before that, you always played on the left.

– We talked about it with the coach, because in Washington in recent years I played on the left. These were the demands of the coaches. But, say, in the attack zone, on the contrary, it is more convenient for me – there is an opportunity to throw on the move. I said I was ready to play any position in the new team.

– In five matches, you have already played three times on the ice with different partners. Have your duties on the ice changed because of this?

– Not really. You just need to read the situation – where the partners are rolling, where they are opening up. Everything happens on instinct, there is nothing like one defender being on the defensive and the other on the attack. In Boston, all five are trying to create something. You get great pleasure from this game. My new team has many strengths.

– Can we say that in Boston they allow you to attack more than in Washington, which in recent years has relied on defensive tactics?

– No, now even defensive coaches ask defenders to be active, to help forwards. In this regard, my role has not changed. It’s just that in different systems the speed of transition from defense to attack changes. As a result, the game seems slower or faster. In Boston, it happens very quickly, so there is always the possibility of connecting to the offense and creating an advantage in the other zone. Plus, Boston doesn’t like to just give the puck away. Even if it doesn’t work quickly, we’ll hold the puck and then get into someone else’s zone with a pass. This is welcome, the main thing is to avoid losses.

“For 11 years, I got used to the fact that we speak Russian in the locker room”

– In the match with the “Rangers” you constantly went on the ice against the three of Vladimir Tarasenko. For what?

It’s the coach’s decision. And I had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with him in Russian. Well, before the game, with the Russian guys from Rangers, we went to eat. We just talked about the exchange with Volodya – this is a common topic for us. Tarasenko also reacted emotionally to this, he is worried. May God give him confidence and strength.

– Before you, there had never been Russians in Boston. What do you think of this fact?

– When you spend 11 years in a club where there are a lot of Russians, you get used to the fact that Russian is constantly heard in the team. In Boston, I have to adapt, but there are no communication barriers. I speak good English and I can communicate with everyone.

– Have you thought about why Russian players are now so actively traded in the NHL?

Many contracts are coming to an end. The clubs can’t agree on new contracts, so they try to get at least something for themselves so the player doesn’t just leave in the summer. And we have no choice in this situation, we are simply exchanged. The main thing is to be exchanged for a good team that has a chance of winning the Cup.

– Have you ever understood why Boston is so cool this season?

– First, the depth of the composition. Second, the game system, which surprised me a lot and pleasantly. Boston is in first place for a reason. My outlook is changing now. For 11 years in Washington, there were different coaches, there were good times and bad times. But before moving to Boston, I had no idea it could be. I am very happy to have entered a new atmosphere, to have received a new challenge. At first I was stressed, but now it’s easier. You only need to find an apartment to be able to leave the hotel. And in terms of hockey, everything is fine.

“Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak are real leaders, they hold the locker room”

– Have you ever been compared to the legendary Bobby Orr in Boston because of the Orlov last name?

— I try not to read the press now. All the while, I was in a nervous state.

– You were on the same team as the famous Brad Marchand. How is he in the locker room?

– A nice guy and a good partner, he has a lot of respect for guys and, accordingly, for the back. He is a very good player, it is better to be on the same side as him.

– They have been talking about his trio with Bergeron and Pastrnak for a long time. But what is their strength when you see the team from the inside?

— They are professionals who always try to work with full equipment. Bergeron is the dean of our team, and everything is very clear with him, he will not just pass again. There are so many important little things in his game that are only noticeable up close. But they are the ones who allow him to stay at such a high level for so long. He’s one of the best centers in the NHL, but Patrice will never top his shift. By watching it, young players understand how to work and what to look for. All three are real leaders who hold the locker room.

– Now you’re so far ahead of your competition that Boston is pre-registered as the main favorite for the Stanley Cup. No hurry?

There will always be such conversations. Teams that win the President’s Cup always have a harder time in the playoffs. We will try not to relax before the playoffs. At team meetings, coaches ask the guys how to become even better, what the players think about it. The process is ongoing.

Do you follow the playoffs in the KHL?

– I used to always follow. And now, I’ll be honest – not before. You have to solve your problems. Now we have two home games, but then a series of five away games. I’ll start looking. There is no Russian TV in the hotel, I haven’t even taken things apart yet. This house could turn on Russian channels at any time.