The death knell for Scott Hartnell's time in union blue could be on its way.
There's no question the $4.75 million cap hit the 35-year-old veteran carries into the next two seasons is close to an albatross around the neck of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In fact, the franchise likely knew this particular bill would come due when it acquired Hartnell for the fully done for yet equally expensive RJ Umberger three seasons ago.
In that way, the deal was a steal for Columbus, which has received three solid years and 71 total goals from Hartnell while Umberger quickly saw his playing career come to an end with just 11 more tallies in Philadelphia. Be that as it may, a nearly $5 million cap hit for a 35-year-old in a league that's only getting faster and who had only one game with a goal in the Trump administration isn't ideal, to say the least.
Hartnell wasn't asked to waive his no-movement clause by Monday's deadline, the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reported, but the veteran scribe also quoted sources who said Hartnell has been informed he's unlikely to be in the team's plans going forward.
But is it time to make that move?
The Case For
Simply put, Hartnell isn't getting any younger. He took a reduced role as a third- and fourth-line forward in 2016-17 and even was scratched at the end of the year as his production fell off a cliff in the second half. After games of Jan. 21, Hartnell had 13 goals, 15 assists and 28 points to go with a plus-13 rating. He wouldn't score the rest of the year and had just nine assists to give him his lowest full-season point total since 2003-04.
More than that, it looked like age had finally caught up with Hartnell. It wasn't only that he wasn't scoring, it was that the chances were few and far between. He was also part of a second power-play unit whose production hovered near bupkis for most the season, and there are hard-charging youngsters on his tail when it comes to the 12-man forward roster.
Hartnell is on record as saying he doesn't want to move, so the only realistic way it appears he could go is via buyout. That move could save Columbus $5 million the next two seasons (including $3.25 million this upcoming campaign), important money at a time when the team does have to contend with the upper bound of the salary cap.
The Case Against
You could make an argument Hartnell wasn't as bad as the numbers last year. Five-on-five, his scoring was pretty much the same from 2015-16 (13-24-37) to 2016-17 (11-23-34) despite a drop in overall ice time and moving down in the lineup. His puck possession numbers were also strong (52.9 CF%) while having a nearly neutral zone deployment.
So is it possible Hartnell was just in the slump of all slumps, that there is still life in his body yet? He will likely think so, and he took his reduced playing time this past season with dignity. A battler and a generally likable guy, Hartnell could provide the veteran leadership a team needs. And remember, buyouts are painful because they're lost money that isn't actively going to help a team improve.
The Verdict: Very Likely
We made our best case, but it's looking like Hartnell may have played his last game in Columbus as a member of the Blue Jackets. His cost is simply too much for a bottom-six forward, and his numbers have reached the worrying decline phase. Biting the bullet and making a move to free themselves from Hartnell's contract would allow the Blue Jackets some much-needed flexibility on the salary front.
But it does say right here that if Hartnell does end up returning once the expansion draft/regular draft/free agency whirlwind passes, it would be interesting to see how that would go. There are a few signs there might be a little gas left in the tank for the old veteran.
