WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon marked the NHL trade deadline, and on the bubble of the playoff race, the Washington Capitals were fairly active.

Usually buyers at the deadline, the Caps seemed more like sellers this season, trading defenseman Dimitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway to Boston, forward Marcus Johansson to Minnesota, defenseman Erik Gustafsson to Toronto and longtime Capitals forward Lars Eller to Colorado.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan implied Friday that while the Caps parted ways with several key players, they are still focused on winning now.

“We want to be competitive next year, I still think we want to be competitive this year,” MacLellan said. “I still think we got a pretty good team. We’re going through some injuries. Our back end is decimated a little bit.”

In return for their trades, the Capitals have acquired five draft picks, including a 2024 first round pick from Boston, though they did part ways with a first round pick that they had as well. The Capitals also acquired forward Craig Smith from the Bruins and 22-year-old Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin from the Maple Leafs.

MacLellan noted that Sandin is a “good young defenseman,” and expects him to contribute to the team.

MacLellan said that telling both Orlov and Eller, two players that helped the Caps to their only Stanley Cup title in franchise history in 2018, that they were being traded was not easy.

“It’s a tough conversation because we’ve been together we’ve had success for a long time here, both of those guys,” MacLellan told DC News Now in a zoom press conference Friday afternoon. “They’ve been a big part of the organization. I think Lars coming in was a huge impact on our team, solidifying that third line center a big reason they won the cup. [Orlov] has always been a great player for us. Even in our own market he’s underrated. It’s hard to lose people you’ve had success with and that are really good players.”