Don Sweeney and the Bruins have made their first trade of the 2023 trade deadline.

But it’s not for who you or anybody else thought it would be, as the Bruins pivoted from Columbus and Washington, and swung a deal for forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov.

In exchange for Hathaway and Orlov, the Bruins sent forward Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, and 2024 third-round pick to Washington.

The Wild were also involved in this trade as a financial broker of sorts, as they acquired Orlov from Washington with 50 percent of his salary retained by the Capitals and then sent Orlov to Boston with 25 percent salary retention in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2023.

• Talked a little bit about Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov with @_TyAnderson as part of the newest @985Underground. (At about 23:30) https://t.co/jUivVd5tLr

  — Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff) February 23, 2023

• A 31-year-old left-shot defenseman, Orlov comes to the Bruins with three goals and 19 points, along with 88 hits and 62 blocked shots, in 43 games with the Capitals this season. Orlov’s 88 hits ranked as the third-most among all Washington defensemen, while his 62 blocks were fifth-most on the Capital blue line.

  Orlov is also averaging 22:43 of time on ice per game this season, which is the the second-highest nightly average of his 11-season NHL career, trailing only his 23:08 per game in 2017-18.

  The 5-foot-11 Orlov also put up a career-high 12 goals and 35 points with Washington last season.

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  WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 16: Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals shoots against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Capital One Arena on February 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

• Orlov also comes to the Bruins with significant playoff experience, as he has been part of seven Washington postseason runs, with 74 games of playoff experience to his name over that spell. His 74 games of postseason experience since 2016 ranks as the 11th-most among all NHL defensemen over that span.

  The Russian-born defenseman was also part of the Washington team that won the 2018 Stanley Cup, and recorded two goals and eight points over that 24-game run. Orlov’s 21:35 of even-strength time on ice per game during that 24-game run was second-most on the Caps over that run, and was ninth among all playoff skaters.

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  WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 05: Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring against the Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena on March 05, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

• Orlov’s move to the Bruins gives the Bruins yet another all-situation left-shot defenseman, and he joins a left-side grouping headlined by Hampus Lindholm and featuring Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, and Jakub Zboril.

  How the Bruins utilize Orlov will be an interesting storyline to watch unfold, as the Capitals have utilized him as both a top-pairing option and complementary piece throughout his time in DC. It’ll also be interesting to see who is the first player bumped out of the defensive rotation to work Orlov into the mix for the B’s.

  Orlov comes to the Bruins with 60 goals and 256 points, along with a plus-104 rating, in 686 career games since breaking into the league during the 2011-12 season.

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  Feb 18, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Garnet Hathaway (21) skates during the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2023 Stadium Series ice hockey game at Carter-Finley Stadium. (James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports)

• Hathaway, meanwhile, reports to Boston with nine goals and 16 points through 59 games this season.

  A 6-foot-3, right-shot forward, Hathaway will bring some snarl to the Black and Gold’s bottom six, and has already racked up 198 hits this season. His 198 hits were the most among all Washington skaters, and ranked eighth in the NHL. (The leader hitting on the B’s roster, Connor Clifton, enters the night with 156 hits.)

  The Bruins are more than familiar with Hathaway’s nastiness, as he’s long been a thorn in the side of Charlie McAvoy, and had run-ins with multiple B’s skaters during the last Bruins-Capitals showdown.

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  May 19, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Capitals right wing Garnet Hathaway (21) checks Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly (6) during the first period in game three of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)

• Hathaway also has a bit of offensive pop to his game, and put up a career-high 14 goals and 26 points in 76 games with the Capitals last season.

  The 31-year-old Hathaway, who to my knowledge drew some interest from the Bruins when he was a free agent back in 2019, has recorded 54 goals and 116 points in 432 career games between the Flames and Capitals.

  A Maine-born forward, Hathaway has banged for 1,170 hits since breaking into the league as a full-timer in 2017, which ranks as the seventh-most in hockey over that span.

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  Mar 12, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Craig Smith (12) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Arizona Coyotes during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)

• As for what’s going out the door, the Bruins were able to find a suitor for Smith without having to retain any money, which was long considered a potential issue for the team.

  A volume shooter, Smith struggled upon the change from Bruce Cassidy to Jim Montgomery, as the Bruins stressed quantity over quality when it came to their offensive-zone opportunities.

  Boston’s trading of a second-round pick, meanwhile, leaves the club without a second-round selection until 2026, as the team moved their 2023 and 2024 second-round picks in last year’s Hampus Lindholm trade.

  Don Sweeney will speak with the media at 7:15 p.m.

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