Washington Capitals trade Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway to Boston Bruins for Craig Smith and picks

Both players were held out of the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks for trade-related reasons. NHL insider Frank Seravalli ranked Orlov No. 6 in his latest NHL trade targets board. The left-shot defenseman has registered 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 43 games this season. Orlov is in the final year of a six-year, $30 million dollar contract he signed with the Capitals in 2017. The contract carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.1 million.

Hathaway is listed at No. 32 on Seravalli’s trade targets board. The Bruins' power forward has registered 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) and 52 penalty minutes in 59 games played this season. Hathaway is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) who is in the final year of a four-year, $6 million contract he signed in 2019. His contract holds a cap hit of $1.5 million, making him an affordable player on the bottom six for the Bruins.

It seems Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan is now in ‘sellers mode.' With a former Stanley Cup champion in Orlov, who posted eight points in 24 games during the Caps’ 2018 Stanley Cup run dealt, what else could be up in the nation’s capital?

Meanwhile in Boston, the Bruins dealt forward Craig Smith, who has registered 10 points (four goals, and six assists) in 42 games this season. Throughout an 831-game career, Smith has recorded 195 goals and 213 assists for 408 points. The Madison, Wis., product has an AAV of $3.1 million and is in the final year of his contract and will become a UFA this summer.