The Boston Bruins look a tad different these days after swinging a pre-deadline trade with the Washington Capitals.
Prior to their wacky win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, Boston shipped Craig Smith and a bundle of draft picks off for forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The move is expected to fortify the Bruins' NHL-best lineup, giving head coach Jim Montgomery a plethora of options each night.
"I have some thoughts in mind," Montgomery said Friday, per team-provided video. "Hathaway, (possibly) playing with (Nick) Foligno, (Trent) Frederic, (A.J.) Greer. Some combination like that. If (Tomas) Nosek goes in, maybe he's playing with Nosek and Foligno. It'll just depend on where everything falls out.
"... Orlov would depend on who we think needs a night off. We have seven, eight really good defensemen. We're spoiled right now, we have an embarrassment of riches. There's going to be a rotation back there.
Hathaway and Orlov are set to meet the Bruins in Vancouver on Friday, possibly putting them in line to make their team debut against the Canucks on Saturday at Rogers Arena. If they do, it will start Montgomery's process of perfecting his lineup heading into what Boston hopes to be a long Stanley Cup Playoff run.
"Orlov is going to help us win, Hathaway is coming to help us win," Montgomery said. "... We are deeper and better suited for a deep playoff run and hopefully we have that kind of success."
Puck drop Saturday is set for 7 p.m. ET.
