The defenseman stated that the rumors that he would be leaving for Russia next season were all fake.

Earlier this month, some rumors started to circulate that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov was considering leaving for Russia at the expiration of his current contract.

Orlov, 33, is in the final year of his two-year, $7.75 million AAV contract with the Canes.

However, when given the chance to respond to the rumors, Orlov completely refuted the claims.

"Yeah, I saw that," Orlov told The Hockey News. "It's just a fake. Not true."

The rumors stemmed from Russian journalist Arthur Khairullin who stated Orlov was likely to sign with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL next year, joining close friend and former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov.

After that, the rumor was picked up by popular Washington Capitals blog Russian Machine Never Breaks and it started to populate around from there.

While things can certainly change, it's hard to imagine that Orlov will leave the NHL anytime soon.

The defenseman is still a very effective player and I'm sure more than a handful of teams will still offer him significant money following his current deal.

Orlov had six goals, 26 points and 116 hits with the Hurricanes last season and has a goal and three points in eight games this year.

Since joining the Canes, Orlov has also averaged 60+ CF%.

He's still a very good player and I just can't see him forgoing another few years in the NHL to return home. 

Perhaps after another contract he will decide to head home, but certainly not next year.

Again, things can change, but as of now, it seems like nothing more than hearsay.