Just after 6 PM Thursday night, the Washington Capitals announced officially that they sent both Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins.

Less than an hour later, the puck dropped for the team’s game versus the Anaheim Ducks. While the trade was not surprising, the timing of it — more than a week before the trade deadline — was. It represented a cold, turning point for a team that has so far desperately tried to remain in playoff contention.

For Capitals players, it also meant the sudden loss of two close teammates and friends.

“It’s tough. That aspect of hockey is really hard,” said Nick Jensen. “Guys in this room, we go through all the highs and lows that is hockey. We’re like brothers in here, so when you see guys no longer showing up in the locker room together it’s definitely hard, and it can be somewhat of a distraction. But it’s part of the game, and it’s something you’ve got to move on from.”

Trevor van Riemsdyk also spoke on the difficulty of the trade. “We’re going to miss those guys because they’re great people, great humans. Obviously that’s part of the business, and it’s a sad part, but it is what it is.”

Captain Alex Ovechkin was visibly upset when discussing the loss of Orlov and Hathaway postgame. “It’s sad,” he said, “Great teammates, good friends, good players. You know, it’s hard but what we say, it’s a business, it’s life. So [we] wish them luck and we have to move on.”

Ovechkin was particularly close with Dmitry Orlov, a fellow countryman who was drafted by the Capitals and has spent 11 seasons with the team. “It’s sad, I was sad,” Ovechkin reiterated. “He was a good friend. We spent lots of time together, here, on the road, family-wise. It’s hard.”

The loss of Orlov was further emphasized by Jensen, who had been his regular defense partner.

“Like I said before,” Jensen explained, “these guys are like brothers to us, and from day one getting to this team he was, I was playing the majority of my time with him. You know, it’s tough to see guys like that leave, especially guys that have been around and created the culture that is the Washington Capitals, the winning culture that is here. He’s a guy that established that.”

Head coach Peter Laviolette described Orlov and Hathaway as “two guys who gave a lot to the organization. Orly played a lot of years here and was a really good defenseman for a long time, and Garnet came in and provided a different style of play and was also very good while he was here. And so, I wish those guys luck. You know, these are decisions that are made from an organization…that’s the business that goes on this time of year.”

The Capitals lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 and have now lost six games in a row, all in regulation. With the Capitals now officially sellers, this will not likely be the team’s final trade: they may well lose additional players before the March 3rd deadline. In the meantime, the team will continue to push through the final months of the season, absent two former members.

Screenshot: @Capitals/Twitter