As part of the deal, the Minnesota Wild originally acquired Orlov for forward Andrei Svetlakov and sent him to Boston for a fifth-round pick. The Capitals, who keep half of Orlov’s $5.1 million salary, then traded Svetlakov to Boston. The Wild will keep 25% of Orlov’s salary.
The move came less than an hour after Orlov and Hathaway were dropped from the lineup ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks – and signaled the direction the Capitals front office intends to take before next week’s NHL trade deadline. Orlov and Hathaway were scheduled to enter free agency this summer. The Capitals now have six picks in the 2023 draft, including two in the first round.
“This trade allows us to acquire interim capital, infuse youth and replenish our system,” Washington Chief Executive Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “While this season has proven to be difficult with injuries to our key players, we are able to use some of our current strengths to re-equip our club and build a competitive squad moving forward.”
The trade only strengthens the Bruins, the league’s best record holders and Stanley Cup favorite. Orlov is considered one of the top four defenders; Hathaway is a two-way killer who brings a physical presence.
Smith, who has 10 points in the last 42 games, is in the final season of a three-year contract capped at $3.1 million. The Bruins waived Smith in December, but he joined the roster after going unclaimed. A former fourth-round draft pick, Smith played nine seasons in Nashville before joining the Bruins in the 2020-21 campaign.
Orlov, 31, had become one of Washington’s most reliable players in recent seasons, an unheralded part of the franchise’s aging championship core. Orlov was in the final season of a six-year contract.
After enduring a stint on injured reserve this season due to a lower-body injury, Orlov had returned to bring stability to a changing defensive corps since John Carlson was ruled out indefinitely after being on the side of the head with a puck. in December. Orlov was the fourth-longest-serving Capitals starting player behind Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Carlson, with whom he formed the team’s best defensive pairing over the past five seasons.
Orlov, ranked 55th overall in the 2009 draft, hoped to end his career with the Capitals and was reportedly in talks with the team earlier this season about an extension.
“Being in one place for so long is my home,” Orlov said last year. “Here, we feel like a family. We will see what will happen.
Hathaway, 31, had established himself as a strong presence in the locker room, and although his attacking numbers had plummeted, he still played a crucial role as a fourth-line physical winger. He has nine goals and seven assists in 59 games.