Trade Analysis: Boston Bruins acquire Dmitry Orlov from the Washington Capitals

The Boston Bruins are having a comically great regular season, currently on pace for 133 points, which would be the highest total in NHL history.

They've outscored their opponents by 93 combined goals in their 56 games, which is more than twice as much as the next-best team in the league (the Carolina Hurricanes are next up at plus-43). 

If they have a flaw as a team, then I can't really find one statistically at the moment. No team scores more often than they do at 5-on-5, and only the Edmonton Oilers score slightly more than them overall thanks to their absurd power play. No team gives up fewer goals against than they do either, across every single relevant game state (even strength, penalty kill, you name it). Their goaltending has been excellent, but it's honestly hard for it not behind one of the game's best defensive environments. 

So what does a team that's running away with the Presidents' Trophy do? Find a way to get significantly better anyways, apparently. Because that's exactly what they did about a week out from the deadline, acquiring Dmitri Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals.

In roughly just an hour between the two of them being ruled out ahead of tonight's games for “trade-related reasons,” the Bruins were able to secure both of their services in a package deal before the rest of a presumably very interested market of other contenders was able to. 

Let's break the deal down in its entirety from both sides, taking a closer look at just how much the Bruins upgraded their lineup, and why the Capitals chose to go this route as a seller for the first time in seemingly forever.