With the recent struggles of the Washington Capital’s team this season, and the rumors that Orlov and General Manager Brian MacLellan were far away from coming to terms, it was clear that moves had to be made for the future of the Capitals organization.
Dmitry Orlov, who has spent his entire career was a Capital, has become a solid piece of the core, and a fan favorite. Orlov was also key for the two presidents trophy wins and the 2018 cup run. During his time in Washington, Orlov has competed in 11 NHL seasons, playing in 686 games, and scoring 256 points.
Garnet Hathaway as a player the Capitals got after the cup run, and has slowly become a fan favorite. The spark Hathaway can provide is second to none, and he may even find himself on the score sheet, as he is a player that steps up for the moment. Given the Capitals were missing Wilson for most of the season, Hathaway stepped up and provide that physical presence.
Given the Bruin’s need for defense and their “all in” approach to the season, it makes sense for them to be grabbing a solid top four defenseman. Hathaway also fits the Bruin’s persona and will make for a lovely energy player in the upcoming playoffs. Both of these players were essential to the Capitals the past few seasons and will likely make an instant impact for the Bruins.
The return for the Orlov and Hathaway is Craig Smith, a 1st round pick, 2nd round pick, and a 3rd round pick. Breaking it down, a 1st and a 2nd for Orlov is fair return, and a 3rd along with Craig Smith to make the salary work makes sense and works for both teams.
We can expect the expect the 1st round pick to be a late pick, given the strength of the Bruin’s this season and the very likely success they will have this season. However this does leave the Capitals with two first round picks for this upcoming draft.
The Capitals should be looking to flip Smith as soon as they can, as he is an expiring UFA this summer, and the Capitals already have a surplus of forwards that play the defensive role.
As a Capitals fan, I believe that we can expect to see a few other players going before the trade deadline hits, and I do believe that this is the right idea, especially due to the competition in the eastern conference, and the strong upcoming draft.
It will hurt to see Orlov and Hathaway in another team’s shirt though.
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