Orlov among two scratched by Capitals for trade-related reasons on Thursday

The Washington Capitals are set to take on the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, but they'll be doing so without a pair of veteran players.

Nearly two hours before puck drop, the Capitals' public relations Twitter account announced that defenceman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway will not play against Anaheim due to trade-related reasons.

Hathaway and Orlov become the fourth and fifth players to be scratch for trade-related reasons around the NHL, joining Arizona's Jakob Chychrun, Columbus' Vladislav Gavrikov and Tyler Motte, who was eventually moved from Ottawa to the New York Rangers.

Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st and talks on an extension between Orlov and the Capitals have gone nowhere, leading us to where we are today.

The Capitals are on the outside of the playoff picture in the NHL's Eastern Conference, sitting two points back of the Florida Panthers for the second and final wild card spot.

Along with Hathaway and Orlov, the Capitals have a handful of other pending unrestricted free agents including Lars Eller, Conor Sheary, among others. In fact, none of Washington's defencemen on their active roster, other than John Carlson, are signed beyond the 2022-23 season, so there could be plenty of turnover heading into next year.

The National Hockey League's trade deadline is only eight days away. Stay tuned to Markerzone.com for full coverage leading up to 3 p.m. ET on Friday, March 3rd.

#Caps defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway are being held out from tonight's game versus Anaheim for trade-related reasons.— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 23, 2023

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