CBJ of the Day: Scott Hartnell

By William Espy

Jarmo Kekalainen has quickly grown famous for his love of draft-day trades with the Philadelphia Flyers (among other things). His first (and biggest) was the trade that brought Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus; however the one a couple years later is no slouch either.  On June 23, 2014; Kekalainen would trade disgruntled forward RJ Umberger and a fourth round pick in the 2015 draft to Philadelphia in exchange for Scott Hartnell who had seemingly fallen out of the Flyers’ plans. Hartnell has ironically been more remembered for his hatred in Pittsburgh than his play on the ice. His play with the Flyers would never earn him a nomination for the Hart or the Lindsay; however it was well above average.

At the time of the trade, Flyers fans were adamant that they had won the trade. They repeatedly stated that Hartnell was a massive waste of cap (which statistically he never was even close to being) and that he would fall off the map within a couple years. They also said that while Umberger was just as “bad”, he had a shorter deal which would be very helpful for them in the future. What they did not count on however, was Hartnell’s revitalization on the “kid” line and even before that. Nor did they expect Umberger to decline statistically as fast as he did. In their first year (back for Umberger) following the trade,  Hartnell put up sixty points in 77 games while Umberger was limited to 15 points in 67 games.  So to break that down, the trade was essentially 15 points and a 4^th round pick for 60 points. Time will tell how that pick turns out, however currently the Jackets have without a doubt won the trade.

Hartnell played his 1000^th career this season and was honored with this video by the Blue Jackets:

At only 33 years old, 1000 games is a highly impressive mark and he is not even close to being done.

STATUS: CORE PLAYER

The addition of Hartnell has helped the Blue Jackets infinitely, without the injury plagued season the team could have had a long playoff run. Hartnell provides a lot of experience, brings his top game every night, and has a “bit” of a temper. He is an important part of the team and needs to stay.