After 11 years, defenseman Dmitry Orlov is no longer a member of the Washington Capitals. The Capitals traded Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins in a three-team deal.
Orlov was a second-round pick of the Capitals in the 2009 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2011 and skated on the blue line for 11 seasons for Washington. He was one of the integral parts of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
Orlov’s agent, Mark Gandler, says the Russian defenseman is “in shock” but looking forward to joining the Bruins.
“He is in shock but also excited because he wants to win another Cup,” Gandler said, per Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic. “Once you have one, it’s hard to get it out of your blood.”
“It was not a terrible surprise, but once it’s done, after being in Washington for 11 years, being drafted by the team, it’s going to put you in a kind of shock, whether you are prepared for it or not,” Gandler continued.
Orlov is in the final year of a six-year, $30 million deal. Contract negotiations between him and the Capitals hit a wall. The Capitals entered Thursday on a five-game losing streak before the trade. A 4-2 loss to the woeful Anaheim Ducks extended the losing streak to six for the Capitals. Thus, Washington has become a seller ahead of the March 3 trade deadline.
The Capitals received veteran forward Craig Smith, the rights to Andrei Svetlakov, a 2023 first-round draft pick, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2024 third-round pick.
Dmitry Orlov played in 686 games with the Capitals. This season he tallied three goals and 16 assists in 43 games. Now, he joins the best team in NHL. The Bruins are chasing the league record for most wins with 43 through 56 games.
