The Blue Jackets opened training camp today with medical and fitness testing, and while the players won’t hit the ice until Friday, there’s already roster-relevant news regarding veteran forward, Scott Hartnell.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reported today that Hartnell has spoken with Jackets’ management and he has rescinded the “waiving” of his no-move clause that he granted prior to last year’s trade deadline.
#CBJ Scott Hartnell: "I really love Columbus. I love the guys. I think we can be a great group, and I feel like I can contribute. Why … "
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 22, 2016
More Hartnell: "… would I mess with my mind? I know what I can do for this team. I plan on being a Blue Jacket for the rest of my career."
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 22, 2016
Hartnell was acquired via trade from Philadelphia during the 2014 off-season in exchange for Jackets’ winger, RJ Umberger who had requested a trade. Fresh off their second playoff appearance, the Jackets were optimistic about adding a veteran presence to their lineup that brought more than a little character and grit, along with sustained point production.
Hartnell has seemed to keep up his end of the bargain on-ice. In two seasons in Columbus, he has missed a total of eight games: he broke his hand in fight during the 2014-15 campaign, and was a healthy scratch three times in 2015-16 by head coach John Tortorella. Two seasons ago he matched his second highest career point total (28-32-60) and last year, with the team struggling to get out of the NHL basement, he was tied for third in points on the team with Boone Jenner and put up a more than respectable 23-26-39.
As Portzline cites in his article today, there was never a reason given as to why Hartnell was asked to waive his no-move prior to last year’s deadline, but he was a penalty generator last season with 112 PIMs (not his career high by the way), good enough for 12th in the league. Additionally, his $4.75MM cap hit, that carries through the 2018-19 season, is viewed by some as a big price tag on a player that may be aging out of being productive in the role that he plays. Especially for a team that underperformed and could be looking to clear the way for younger (and more cap-friendly) talent.
But that being said, Hartnell’s performance has seemingly defied the odds, and Father Time, which was also discussed by our own Matt Souva who recapped what was the 2015-16 season for the 34-year-old Jacket.
The above visual was created by the ever-brilliant, Micah Blake McCurdy at the trade deadline. (You can find more of his work at hockeyviz.com) This chart shows Hartnell’s career year over year by points per 60 (his offensive production) and what role he played within the lineup. We can see that Hartnell did slide down the lineup a bit last season into third line minutes, but his point production has seen no marked decline even as he celebrates birthday after birthday.
So what now? Hartnell seems to have removed, at least for the near future, an avenue for the Jackets to clear more cap space through trade. However, provided that he can hold true to his word to produce at the same level he has shown he can, his price tag may be a bit easier to swallow in Columbus.
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