Blue Jackets feel a bit burned by Bruins after Don Sweeney deals with Capitals

BOSTON -- For most of this week, reports indicated that a trade between the Bruins and Blue Jackets for Vladislav Gavrikov was just about done. All that remained was some salary-cap maneuvering by Boston before the i's could be dotted and the t's could be crossed.

Then came Thursday, when the Bruins went ahead and swung their big trade. And it did not involve the Blue Jackets.

The Bruins shipped out three draft picks (a first-round pick in 2023, a second-round pick in 2025, and a third-round pick in 2024) plus Craig Smith in order to acquire Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals.

The Blue Jackets, naturally, were a bit stunned.

"The news landed like a gut punch to Columbus before the puck dropped against Minnesota, specifically that the Bruins had acquired Orlov, a veteran two-way defenseman. The Blue Jackets thought they were going to be dance partners with Boston," The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reported. "Multiple team and league sources confirmed to The Athletic that the Blue Jackets firmly felt they had a deal in place with Boston for more than a week that would have sent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Bruins for multiple picks and/or players."

Portzline added: "The Blue Jackets believed the deal was done, sources said, but Boston repeatedly asked for more time."

The Blue Jackets are in a difficult position, as they've kept Gavrikov out of the lineup since Feb. 14 in order to prevent injury risk for a player the team plans to trade before the March 3 deadline. With the framework of a deal reportedly agreed upon with Boston, the Blue Jackets thought they had their deal. And with "everything" reportedly pointing to the Bruins as the landing spot for Gavrikov, many others believed that as well. According to one report, though, the Bruins didn't believe the trade with Columbus was a done deal.

And eventually, the Bruins found a deal they liked better, and they made it.