The Washington Capitals are sending Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to Boston in exchange for Craig Smith, a first round pick in this year’s draft, a third round pick in 2024, and a second rounder in 2025. The trade turned into a three team deal with Minnesota, who traded prospect Andrew Svetlakov to Boston for a fifth round pick this year. Minnesota will also pay a quarter of Orlov’s salary this season, and Washington will pay half of it as well.
WHAT THIS DOES FOR THE BRUINS
Don Sweeney couldn’t have made a better move than this. Adding Orlov to Boston’s already loaded defense makes their blue line seem impenetrable, and Hathaways physicality and production as a lower six forward perfectly rounds out the Bruins roster. Orlov and Hathaway play like thorn-in-your-side Bruins, so much so that I despised them on the Caps but welcome them with open arms in Boston.
Craig Smith will be missed. Bruins players had some kind words for their former teammate and gave thoughts on the trade after yesterday’s win over Seattle:
Smith was a great player for the B’s since 2020, but his value has dropped of in coach Jim Montgomery’s system this year. Hathaway is an upgrade nearly every way you look at it. He has a larger presence in the opponents zone, tallying 16 points to Smith’s 10 so far this season, while also racking up 198 hits which lands him at first for the Capitals and eighth highest in the league.
Orlov is having career high year for minutes played, and I don’t expect that to change in Boston. He is averaging over 22 minutes a night, and his value in the offensive zone will land him substantial power play and crunch time minutes. Orlov and Hathaway are also great additions to the B’s league leading penalty kill, which has a current success rate of 86.22%.
WHAT THIS DOES FOR WASHINGTON
The Capitals didn’t get fleeced in this trade. The picks that they received were much needed and give them a lot to work with in the future. It’s clear that they are headed towards/are already in a rebuild phase, and adding draft capital is the best move for developing young talent.
With Orlov gone, it will be interesting to see what happens with Ovechkin this offseason. To win a Stanley Cup, you need four solid lines of forwards, along with three reliable lines on defense, and I don’t see the Capitals being able to get back to that point before Ovi retires. Orlov was a key part of their championship in 2018, and he has been a top player for the Caps since then. Does him getting moved spell retirement for Ovechkin?
One thing to keep in mind is the record for all time goals. Ovi is currently in second place behind Gretzky, who holds the record with 894. Currently at 812, Ovechkin is not far off at all. It’s feasible that he could break the record if he played two more seasons. All we can do is wait, but I sure hope he doesn’t retire so we can keep seeing his one timers from the left dot burn holes in the back of opponent’s nets.
WHO WON THE TRADE
I think this trade benefits both teams, but Boston’s benefits outweigh Washington’s. The Bruins got exactly what they needed to ensure a deep playoff run after having early exits the past couple seasons. Orlov and Hathaway are durable players with championship experience who have proven themselves capable of logging heavy minutes when you need them to. Their play style is a match made in heaven for Jim Montgomery’s system, and I can’t wait to see them in action rocking the black and gold.