The Boston Bruins front office saw reason to add before the NHL trade deadline and that’s exactly what they did.
Before Boston took the ice against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, the Bruins made a pre-deadline swap with the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild. Forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov were acquired by Boston in exchange for four future draft selections — one of which went to the Wild — and forward Craig Smith, who is now a member of the Capitals.
Despite being an NHL-best 43-8-5 and winners of four straight before Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, general manager Don Sweeney pictures Boston’s trade haul providing improvement in several key areas.
“Strength in both areas for us,” Sweeney said. “Both on the defensive side and forward side. And again, I think both players, in Dmitry’s case, adds a tremendous amount of versatility in being able to play both sides. Contributing offensively, has a physical component to his game. Has a wealth of experiences, won a Stanley Cup. In Garnet’s case, as a penalty killer, can play probably third, fourth line or middle sixth as I would describe.”
Hathaway, 31, played 59 games with the Capitals this season, scoring nine goals with 16 assists in 12:06 of average ice time through his fourth campaign with the organization.
“(Hathaway will) compliment the current guys that we rely a lot on in that regard. And I think he’s wired in the same way as Dmitry in being ultra-competitive. So again, I think they’re both gonna fit in really well in all those areas.”
Orlov, who’s played 43 games this season, instantly provides the Bruins with a top-tier defenseman. The 31-year-old veteran has scored three goals with 19 points thus far, while also averaging a career-best 22:43 average ice time. Arriving in Boston at the end of an initial six-year, $30 million contract signed with the Capitals, both Washington (50%) and Minnesota (25%) will be tied to portions of Orlov’s salary as part of the trade.
With 26 games remaining on the Bruins’ regular season schedule including Thursdays, Boston saw an opportunity to enhance an already top-tier roster in preparation come playoff time.
“I think it presented in a situation where we felt we could be aggressive and close it off,” Sweeney said. “You just never know the timing, as I’ve always said. Every deal, every contract, every situation has its own timeline.”
