Not happy with their place atop the NHL standings, the Boston Bruins upgraded their staff by buying defenseman Dmitry Orlov and ahead Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals on Thursday night time.
In change for Orlov and Hathaway, the Bruins despatched a 2023 first-round choose, 2025 second-round choose, 2024 third-round choose, and ahead Craig Smith to the Capitals.
In order to make the cash work for Boston, Washington retained 50% of Orlov’s wage, and the Minnesota Wild received concerned as a third-party to retain 25% of his wage. The Wild additionally shipped the rights to former sixth-round choose Andrei Svetlakov to the Bruins in change for a fifth-round choice in 2023.
The Bruins, already among the best defensive groups within the NHL, simply received even stronger on the blue line. On the opposite finish of this deal, the Capitals gained some belongings that can permit them to rebuild on the fly with Alex Ovechkin nonetheless enjoying at a excessive stage.
Let’s check out how every staff fared on this three-way commerce.
Boston Bruins
Let’s begin right here: The Bruins received higher on protection. There is not any debate about that. Orlov is an underrated participant, and he is much better than Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who Boston has been linked to in current weeks.
Orlov, 31, has been an efficient defenseman all through his 11-year profession, even when he is not a family title. This season has been a battle for your complete Capitals staff, however Orlov has nonetheless made a optimistic influence. With Orlov on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals have managed 50.83% of the anticipated objectives, in accordance with Natural Stat Trick. That quantity will not blow anybody away, nevertheless it’s stable contemplating the workload Orlov has confronted with John Carlson battling damage this season.
Orlov can also be a dependable driver of offense. He’s a very good puck-moving defenseman who can get the puck up the ice rapidly to create harmful probabilities on the different finish. This season, Orlov has three objectives and 16 assists in 43 video games, however he recorded 12 objectives and 35 factors in 2021-22.
There is an opportunity that Orlov takes his sport to a different stage in Boston, which shall be a way more favorable scenario for him. Orlov should play a top-four position for the Bruins, however it could be alongside Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo. Orlov ought to soar on a pairing with both of these gamers.
As for Hathaway, he’ll present the Bruins with a dependable bottom-six ahead and has some encouraging on-ice impacts. The Capitals managed 55.02% of the anticipated objectives share and had a plus-6 purpose differential when Hathaway was on the ice at five-on-five. Those numbers ought to solely enhance on a deep Bruins staff.
The largest query about this transfer for the Bruins is whether or not they need to have made it in any respect. Boston is already a top-two defensive staff within the NHL when it comes to each anticipated and precise objectives, and their blue line depth is rock stable with Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton. Was it price it for Boston to sacrifice a lot draft capital to repair what wasn’t damaged?
Those picks might have been higher spent buying a dynamic top-six ahead. The Bruins have not actually had any hassle scoring objectives this season, but when there was one nitpick about their roster, it could be that the ahead group is perhaps a bit high heavy. One extra scoring risk would make Boston look fairly invulnerable.
With the acquisition of Orlov, an already elite defensive staff simply received even more durable to attain towards. That sort of defensive prowess will come in useful as soon as the playoffs start, however Boston did fork over fairly just a few future belongings to deal with a necessity it did not have. That takes a little bit little bit of the shine off what was an in any other case stable improve for the Bruins. Grade — B+
Washington Capitals
The Capitals noticed the writing on the wall and rapidly pivoted to vendor mode forward of the NHL commerce deadline. After falling to the lowly Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Washington has now misplaced six straight video games in regulation, and the staff is thirteenth within the Eastern Conference in factors proportion.
With the Capitals sliding towards the underside of the standins, normal supervisor Brian MacLellan wasted no time flipping two pending free brokers for draft picks.
In a really perfect world, Washington would have most likely most well-liked to make the playoffs this yr and re-sign Orlov in free company, however he’s 31-years-old and can generate fairly a little bit of curiosity in free company. The similar could possibly be mentioned for Hathaway, regardless that he’ll seemingly be signed for a extra manageable cap hit.
Now, the Capitals have two first-round picks this yr and all types of flexibility shifting ahead. Washington has 10 gamers who’re slated to be unrestricted free brokers this summer season and two extra who shall be restricted free brokers. MacLellan might even flip a pair extra gamers to actually stockpile draft picks and prospects.
This commerce is not the beginning of a full rebuild for the Capitals. Instead, Washington will most likely attempt to reload on the fly so long as Alex Ovechkin continues to be enjoying at a excessive stage, and this return will assist them do that.
If there’s a knock on this commerce from the Capitals’ perspective, it is that they may have been in a position to maintain out for extra, relying upon what occurs with different defensemen like Jacob Chychrun and Gavrikov. A determined staff may need been keen to drive the value a little bit larger close to the deadline.
Even if Washington did not maximize its return for Orlov and Hathaway, this deal makes a whole lot of sense. The Capitals deserve reward for dealing with the truth of their present scenario and looking forward to the long run. Grade — A-
Minnesota Wild
For the second time within the span of a pair weeks, the Wild have picked up a free draft choose to tackle a small sliver of a participant’s cap hit. In the phrases of comedic genius Tim Heidecker, “It’s free actual property.”
Taking on 25% of Orlov’s cap hit does very barely cut back the Wild’s potential to enhance their very own staff forward of the deadline, and so they can now solely retain wage for yet another participant. Still, Minnesota nonetheless has loads of room if it needs so as to add a participant or two, and it has found that you do not have to be one of the vital putrid groups within the league to weaponize cap house. Grade — A-
