The Washington Capitals dealt veteran defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Craig Smith and three draft picks as part of a three-way trade Thursday.
The Bruins are giving the Capitals their 2023 first-round pick, their 2024 third-rounder and their 2025 second-rounder in the trade. The Capitals retained 50 percent of Orlov’s salary.
The Minnesota Wild made it a three-team deal, sending Russian prospect Andrei Svetlakov to Washington for Orlov. The Wild took on 25 percent of Orlov’s salary and flipped him to the Bruins for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick.
Both Orlov and Hathaway were in the final years of their contracts with Washington. The Capitals will retain 50 percent of Orlov’s salary as part of the deal.
Boston (43-8-5, 91 points) has been the top team in the NHL all season, on pace to threaten the single-season record for most wins (62), and it moved to add two reinforcements to the roster ahead of the trade deadline March 3.
Orlov, 31, has played all 11 seasons of his NHL career with Washington, which took him in the second round of the 2009 draft. He had three goals and 16 assists in 43 games this season. In 686 career games, Orlov has tallied 60 goals and 196 assists (256 points).
He did not appear in a game in the 2014-15 season after suffering a sever broken wrist at the 2014 IIHF World Championships with Team Russia.
Hathaway, 31, is a native of Maine and stayed in New England for school. He spent his first four NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames and joined the Capitals in 2019-20.
Hathaway, a fourth-line winger, had nine goals and seven assists in 59 appearances this season. In 432 career games, he has recorded 54 goals and 62 assists (116 points) along with 1,276 hits, with 150 or more in each of his past six seasons.
Smith, 33, was in his third season with Boston after nine years with the Nashville Predators. He had four goals and six assists in 42 outings for the Bruins this season. He’s tallied 195 goals and 213 assists (408 points) in 831 career games, scoring 20 or more goals five times (all with Nashville). Smith’s contract is also up at the end of the season.
The Capitals, who entered Thursday’s game against visiting Anaheim on a five-game losing streak, has 62 points and is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
“This trade allows us to acquire draft capital, infuse youth and restock our system,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a news release. “While this season has proven challenging with injuries to our significant players, we are in a position to use some of our current assets to retool our club and build a competitive team moving forward.”
–Field Level Media