From the "that happened fast" department: The Bruins have made a major trade, landing a defenseman and a bottom-six forward in one fell swoop.
According to the Washington Capitals, Boston has acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right wing Garnet Hathaway in exchange for Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick and 2024 third-round pick. The Capitals also retain 50% of Orlov's $5.1 million salary as part of the deal, and the Bruins are sending a fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Wild to retain another 25%. Orlov, Hathaway and Smith are unrestricted free agents after the season. The Bruins have also officially announced the trade.
Orlov is a 31-year-old left-shot defenseman who has effectively handled top-four minutes for the Capitals for years. He's listed at 5-foot-11, 214 pounds and brings both physicality and puck-moving. He had a career-high 35 points last season and won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018, playing 24:12 per game during that run. He is better than Vladislav Gavrikov, the Blue Jackets defenseman the Bruins had reportedly been close to acquiring.
Hathaway, 31, is a bruising bottom-six forward who's listed at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds and plays a solid two-way game. He leads the Capitals in hits this season (198) and also has nine goals and seven assists. Hathaway, who is from Maine and played at Brown University, has had some history with the Bruins, including a questionable hit on Brad Marchand last season, so there could be some interesting early conversations in the room.
The Bruins, looking to strengthen their spot atop the NHL as they prepare to make a run at the Stanley Cup, had reportedly been looking for help both on defense and at forward, and now they've found it all in one stop. The Capitals seemingly just made the decision to sell off pieces within the last 48 hours or so, as they've lost some ground in the Eastern Conference wild card race.