After being traded by the Washington Capitals to the Boston Bruins ahead of the trade deadline, Garnet Hathaway is headed to his third team of 2023.
The Boston Bruins were always unlikely to re-sign Garnet Hathaway, given their cap situation that has already seen them jettison Taylor Hall for almost nothing. During his time with the Bruins, Hathaway scored six points in 25 games and had an assist in 10 playoff games. Not a flashy point producer, Hathaway is widely considered to be one of the better fourth-liners in the NHL. Hathaway is one year removed from a career season with the Washington Capitals, where he scored a personal-best 14 goals, 12 assists, and 26 points. Garnet Hathaway will turn 32 during the 2023-24 season, and has signed a two-year contract worth $4.75 million with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Garnet Hathaway, traded to BOS, has been one the NHL's most effective fourth line defensive wingers for the past several seasons. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/y1sySwKctd
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 23, 2023
On the surface, Garnet Hathaway doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Philadelphia Flyers don’t make a ton of sense for Garnet Hathaway. Still, the 31 year old grinder was likely brought in to be a mentor and a leader for a young group that needs one. The jury is still out on players like Scott Laughton and Travis Sanheim, and Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov are already out the door. Unlike the latter two, Garnet Hathaway is still a good player who excels in his role, and won’t block the development of the Flyers’ prospects with his roster spot.
In addition, the Garnet Hathaway signing is a important revelation in Daniel Briere’s first go-around as Philadelphia Flyers GM. Hathaway was a desirable target for many playoff contenders, and Briere was able to lure him to Philadelphia at a reasonable price and term. If Hathaway still wants to play for a contender when this deal is up, he should still have the legs to do so. Briere has now shown that he, between Matvei Michkov and Garnet Hathaway, can bring talent to Philadelphia and convince players of his vision and the project in place. He also has an eye for identifying said talent.
The Garnet Hathaway signing is another huge win in Daniel Briere’s first summer as Philadelphia Flyers GM.
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