Dmitry Orlov trade grades: Bruins ace deadline move by acquiring former Capitals defensemen

The best team in the NHL just got better. Much better.

The Bruins made their first move at the 2023 deadline, acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathway from the Capitals in exchange for forward Craig Smith and three draft picks, including Boston’s first-round pick 2023.

Don Sweeney, the Bruins’ general manager, acted quickly but efficiently when news broke that the Capitals were buying Orlov. Less than an hour after it was announced that Orlov would be out for “trade-related reasons”, Sweeney had put together a suitable package for Caps general manager Brian MacLellan.

Orlov, 31, is a pending free agent this summer. He has 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 43 games this season. He also has 62 blocks and 88 hits for an average time of 22:43 on the ice.

The 2018 Stanley Cup winner gives Boston a boost on the blue line and makes one of the best defensive teams in hockey even more fearsome at the back end.

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The Sporting News rates the Bruins, Capitals and Wild for the deal.

Dmitry Orlov commercial grades

• Brown Bears Get: D. Dmitry Orlov, F. Granat Hathaway, F. Andrei Svetlakov
• Capitals get: F Craig Smith, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 second-round pick
• Get wild: 2025 Fifth Round Select (Bruins)

Bruns: A+

There were reports that Boston was planning to bring in defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov for the Blue Jackets’ first and third rounds. If that deal had gone through, it certainly wouldn’t have resulted in the same note. (The Bruins would have been lucky to get a D+).

Instead, with the move to Orlov, the Bruins are getting a much better player than Gavrikov for around the same price. Orlov has a much higher offensive cover than the Blue Jackets defenseman because he’s good at moving the puck up in transition play. He can eat minutes and reinforces the Bruins’ two best defensive pairings.

Additionally, the Bruins are getting one of the best fourth-liners in the game and someone sure to make an impact in playoff time at Hathaway.

The 31-year-old is a thorn in the side of every team he plays against. The Bruins know that better than anyone. Hathaway hits, messes, checks hard and energizes night after night. The fans in Boston will love him.

Boston is also giving up the Craig Smith contract, which was critical to making the deal’s finances work. Sweeney said that between the double withholding of Orlov’s contract and Smith’s money, they were off the hook do not have to make corresponding moves get under the cap. In the salary cap era, that’s huge for a contender.

Capital letters: B-

I mentioned how fast the Orlov deal was going. While this worked in Boston’s favor, it may have prevented Washington from getting a better return. Considering the reported price for Gavrikov, it’s a bit disappointing to see that the Orlov-Hathaway combo doesn’t want much more.

Upping draft picks, particularly another first-round pick in 2023, is a big win for the caps. But if you look at other recent deadline moves for defenders, almost all of them have involved a prospect of going back the other way.

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Just look at the last year. There was Justin Barron in the Arturri Lehkonen deal between the Avalanche and the Canadiens. Ty Smilanic was included in the Panthers-Canadiens deal for Ben Chiarot. Drew Helleson was also involved when the Ducks traded Josh Manson to the Avalanche.

Washington does not have an extensive pool of prospects. Neither has Boston, but the fact that no young players have gone down the Capitals route leaves fans wanting a little more.

I’m giving a 2 because I give MacLellan credit for pushing back the team’s schedule. The club have slipped in the standings and right now the best case scenario would be to come in as a wild card team and hope not to have another early elimination.

MacLellan can collect picks and players to retool the team with all its free agents for the next year. It was 11 before the Boston deal, so he now has nine UFAs that he could potentially switch. It’s probably not what the fans wanted or expected, but it’s a very good management strategy given where the team is.

Wild: B+

General manager Bill Guerin revealed that the Wild could use their bank to help a third party do business. He did it with the Ryan O’Reilly trade between the Blues and the Maple Leafs and did it again with the Capitals-Bruins deal.

Minnesota takes 25% of Orlov’s cap hit in exchange for a fifth-round pick from the Bruins. It may not be much, but remember that the team’s superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, was picked in the fifth round in 2015.

Judd Brackett, director of amateur scouting at Wild, has built one of the best prospect pools in the league. Giving him another choice to work with, only for money that wasn’t going to be used? That’s a win.