As the clear top team in the NHL this season, the Boston Bruins are continuing to improve.
Approaching the trade deadline, the Bruins managed to acquire defenseman Dmitry Orlov as part of a three-team deal. In addition to Orlov, Boston also acquired forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals and Andrei Svetlakov from the Minnesota Wild. In return, Boston sent the Capitals a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick and forward Craig Smith. The Bruins also sent a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to the Wild as part of the deal.
Below, we take a look at how the trade breaks down for the Bruins and Capitals. Given the Wild were only really factored in for salary retention purposes, it's an easy way to acquire a pick, but there isn't a ton to grade.
Boston Bruins
It could be the last run for the Bruins' current core. The status of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci is up in the air following the season, though David Pastrnak did just ink a monster extension. With that in mind, doing whatever it takes for a shot at the Stanley Cup is the priority.
With Orlov, the Bruins are getting a veteran defenseman. He's spent his entire North American career with the Capitals organization since being drafted by the team in 2009. Orlov was a key piece of Washington's 2018 Cup win and while he's now 31 years old, he remains a quality NHL defender. This season, he managed 19 points in 43 games with the Capitals, while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game.
Coming to Boston, Orlov provides defensive stability, with some offensive upside as well. He adds to an already very deep Bruins' defense group and has immediately made an impact. In his first five games with the team, Orlov has scored thee goals and nine points. That said, he wasn't the only piece the Bruins received.
Garnet Hathaway is a solid depth forward and provides an upgrade to the bottom-six. He scored nine goals and 16 points in 59 games with Washington this season and can play with intensity and add a physical presence. Hathaway is another hard to play against forward, who's going to be helpful come playoff time.
The trade was very similar to the three-team deal that sent Ryan O'Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins gave up a lot for sure, but they added two great pieces for another playoff run. The first-round pick was also the biggest piece of the trade, and it's set to come very late in the round anyways.
They also managed to get Craig Smith off the books to make this happen as well, which isn't insignificant. He had been placed on waivers this season but went unclaimed.
The move makes sense for the Bruins and while it didn't come cheap, Boston looks to have the deepest defense group in the league.
Grade: B+
Washington Capitals
Moving Orlov couldn't have been easy for Washington. He's been with the team for over a decade and clearly, this wasn't the direction the Capitals' saw their season going.
With an aging core, it's clear Washington was hoping to contend this year. When that no longer seemed to be a reality though, moving Orlov made sense. He reportedly wanted a long-term extension, but Washington's window to compete is likely down to a few years now. While Orlov could help the Capitals short-term, having him under contract when the team is likely looking to rebuild in a few years wouldn't be ideal. So if re-signing him wasn't much of a possibility, getting back future assets is a useful backup plan.
Hathaway isn't an insignificant piece to give up either. He was with the team since 2019 and has established himself as a strong depth forward. At the same time, he's now 31 years old and on an expiring contract as well.
The return of a first, second and third-round pick is also nothing to scoff at. It allowed the Capitals to immediately go to work, as they flipped the pick in a trade for defenseman Rasmus Sandin. Just turning 23 years old, Sandin had 20 points in 52 games with the Maple Leafs this season. With the move, the Capitals get younger on defense, but also add a roster player who can help now. He's only going to continue improving, so the move helps both in the near future and long-term.
It's not the way the Capitals were hoping their year would turn out. That said, not recognizing their position and acting accordingly would've been a huge mistake.
Grade: B
I think this is one of the moves that works out well for both teams. It's a buy/sell transaction, even if we weren't necessarily expecting the Capitals to be sellers. The Bruins will benefit from Orlov and Hathaway in a playoff run, and the Capitals got an acceptable return to help build for the future.