Following stops in Philadelphia and Columbus, the 36-year-old Hartnell returned to Nashville last season on a one-year deal, rejoining the franchise where his career began 16 seasons earlier. With his offensive skills clearly on the decline (his point totals over three seasons in Columbus were 60, 49 and 37, respectively), the Preds hoped Hartnell could bring enough of his gritty, physical style of play to help the team take another run at a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, Hartnell was limited to just 62 games and 24 points during the regular season. Although this was due mostly to injury, his ineffectiveness down the stretch and into the playoffs saw him miss several games as a healthy scratch, and the team ultimately decided not to bring him back in 2018-19. This may represent the end of the line for Hartnell at this point, unless there is a team who decides to take a chance on him for one more season.
For the second straight season, Hartnell saw his minutes and production drop as the Blue Jackets’ youth movement began to bear fruit, forcing the veteran winger into a reduced role. The 35-year-old is still capable of being a classic pest on the ice, using his abrasive style to force the opponent into mistakes, but his declining skills and foot speed will likely prevent him from being a consistent scoring option going forward. The Blue Jackets bought out his contract in the offseason and Hartnell signed with the Predators, the club that originally drafted him with the sixth overall pick in 2000. While he should be a good fit for Smashville’s system, his path to a top-six role appears no clearer than it did in Columbus.
The 34-year-old Hartnell is coming off another solid season – his eighth campaign with 20-plus goals and 100-plus PIM – but his 49 points were his lowest total in a healthy season since 2010-2011 and, like many Blue Jackets last year, his minus-11 rating was a career worst. The team spent the offseason trying to trade him without finding any takers, and given the young talent coming through the organization, there's no guarantee he'll wind up with a top-six spot in the regular season. On the other hand, his gritty, physical play fits with what coach John Tortorella tries to do; a regular shift on the top two lines could keep his trade value reasonably high, so don't be too surprised if Hartnell is put in position to succeed out of the gate.
In his first year with Columbus, Hartnell did his level best to make the Flyers deeply regret trading him away for R.J. Umberger last offseason, scoring 28 goals en route to his third career 60-point campaign. However, things may not come quite so easily for Hartsy this year, as the acquisition of Brandon Saad pushes him to third on the depth chart at left wing -- perhaps a more ideal fit for his sandpaper playing style. That said, injuries and line mixing will surely result in Hartnell seeing top-six minutes at times, and he still projects to be used on the power play while bringing his usual tough-guy act to the ice, so he should once again be a well-rounded fantasy contributor.
Hartnell's production was a down last season, although he did record his sixth career 20-goal, 100-PIM campaign. Just two years into a six-year extension, the Flyers sent him packing in the off-season for RJ Umberger. The Blue Jackets are a perfect fit for his abrasive playing style, and while young agitators like Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert and Marko Dano can learn a lot from the veteran, he'll still get top-line placement to prove he's got plenty left in the tank. If he ends up riding shotgun for young beast Ryan Johansen, Hartnell could easily return to the 60-point plateau.
Many believe Hartnell had disappointing numbers last season, particularly after posting a career-high 67 points in 2011-12. Hartnell battled a few injuries last season, and the winger is still an important part of the Flyers' offense. If Hartnell can stay healthy, the addition of Vincent Lecavalier should help him rebound this year.
Hartnell is coming off his best season yet, as he posted 67 points in 82 games, while also managing a plus-19 with 136 PIMs. Hartnell offers a great balance of points and penalties as he was one of just three NHL players to post over 30 goals and accure more than 100 penalty minutes, along with Anaheim's Corey Perry and New Jersey's David Clarkson. The skilled winger will likely return to a spot on the Flyers’ oh-so-dangerous top line next to Claude Giroux, which could result in good point production and a high plus-minus. Also, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Hartnell is in a contract year. Those in leagues that reward penalty minutes and plus-minus will want to bump Hartnell up a few spots, just don't overpay for last season's numbers.
Hartnell delivered his fourth consecutive 40-plus point season last year with 25 assists and 24 goals. The physical forward is only two seasons removed from a 30-30 campaign and it wouldn't be crazy to expect that from him again in 2011-12. Overall, Hartnell is one of the many Flyers who fits the mold of consistency over flash and his well-rounded game should lead to respectable totals all across the board.
Hartnell returned to a level of production that we've come to expect after an 60-point campaign in 2008-09. The 28-year old had no trouble sustaining his number of penalty minutes, which were above the 140-minute threshold for the third straight year. The assists were also there, but Hartnell couldn't replicate his goal scoring of '08-'09, in fact his 14 tallies were his lowest total since the 2002-03 season. At this point, we know what we'll get from Hartnell - a ton of PIMs and a year-end point total somewhere near 40.
Hartnell erupted in his second full campaign with the Flyers, tallying 60 points in 82 games while hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. Playing regularly with Carter certainly didn't hurt his offensive production, which was also supported by a plus-14 rating and 143 penalty minutes. Despite ranking eighth on the team in power-play ice time, Hartnell chipped in six goals and seven assists with the man advantage, numbers that could improve if he gets extra time now that Mike Knuble is plying his trade in Washington. There may be too many other weapons around for him to outproduce last season's breakthrough effort, but Hartnell has come a long way since his days as a 30-40 point guy in Nashville.
Hartnell's hard work, rough play and occasional dropping of his gloves resulted in 22 goals and 16 assists for 39 points and 96 penalty minutes in 64 games last season. In the first half of last season, before getting injured, Hartnell led Nashville with 17 goals. His gritty play should benefit the Flyers. A 48-point projection shouldn't be far off the mark.
Hartnell embodies that hard work, blue-collar ethic that the Predators project as a team. Drafted sixth overall in the first round back in 2000, Hartnell was pegged to be one of the core players in the Preds’ roster in the future. It looks like that time may have finally arrived. Hartnell posted career highs in goals (25) and points (48) last season and showed that he could even contribute on the power play. It appears that Hartnell is ready to take that next step in his career. He is probably going to be on the ice quite a bit with dynamo Steve Sullivan, so if Hartnell can stay healthy the offensive numbers will continue their uptrend this season.
Hartnell's 2003-04 was a good news/bad news affair. The bad news was that, after playing no fewer than 75 games in his three prior NHL seasons, he was bitten by the injury bug and suited up just 59 times for the Preds. The good news was that when he could play, he lifted his production to a whole new level, scoring a career high 18 goals despite the missed time. As with any burgeoning young power forward, health is the key with Hartnell -- if he can play a full season, he could be in line for his first 25-goal, 50-point campaign.
