Scott Hartnell's situation is a precarious one.
When the Blue Jackets acquired him three summers ago (has it been that long?), the hope was that he'd provide a veteran presence on a young club, one that was seeking an extra punch up front after losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The price tag was hefty, but it also meant the Blue Jackets could get out from under RJ Umberger's contract, which was slightly longer in term. The Flyers, who completed that deal with Columbus, eventually bought out the remainder of Umberger's contract.
With the expansion draft looming and the Blue Jackets boasting a handful of players with no-trade or no-movement clauses (Hartnell among them), his name has been tossed around quite a bit. Could the Blue Jackets ask him to waive the clause, allowing him to be exposed for selection by the Vegas Golden Knights? They could also buy him out, which would be a salary cap burden for a few more years. They could also attempt to trade him, which seems like the least likely of the outlined options.
The deadline for NHL teams to ask players to waive no-trade/no-move clauses for the expansion draft was 5 p.m. ET Monday, and The Dispatch reports Hartnell was not asked to do so:
#CBJ did not ask veteran forward Scott Hartnell to waive his no-move clause by today's 5 p.m. deadline.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 12, 2017
On the surface, this would seem to suggest that Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is reasonably confident in dealing with the Golden Knights. Rumors and speculation have focused on Columbus' first-round pick this year (24th overall) and David Clarkson's contract as pieces potentially going to Vegas, and you'd have to think the return is an agreement to select a particular player from the Blue Jackets roster.
Aaron Portzline reported in his story today that Hartnell, 35, was told in exit meetings that he's unlikely to return to Columbus in 2017-18. It would be a disappointment for Hartnell, who has taken a liking to the city and the organization since his arrival in 2014, but his salary combined with declining production (and a strong push from several young players in the organizational pipeline) make the move a necessity.
When asked if he'd like to return to Columbus this fall, Hartnell said this on exit day:
"This is my home. I have a beautiful house here, I'm getting married here this summer up in Dublin," Hartnell said. "I've been on a lot of teams, and this is a group where you absolutely love everyone and care about everyone."
Hartnell scored 28 goals and totaled 60 points in his first season with the Blue Jackets, then the output dipped to 23 goals and 49 points in the club's disastrous 2015-16 campaign. He was deployed in primarily a depth role this past season when the club qualified for the playoffs for the third time in its history, scoring 13 goals and totaling 37 points in 78 games.
He has two seasons with an average annual value (AAV) on $4.75 million remaining on his contract.
Here are Hartnell's reflective comments following the Blue Jackets' playoff series with Pittsburgh:
