The Columbus Blue Jackets have bought out the remaining two years on Scott Hartnell’s contract, making him a free agent. Hartnell didn’t need to be placed on waivers like a normal buyout because of his full no-movement clause. Columbus will take on a cap-hit going forward as follows: 
- 2017-18: $1.5MM
- 2018-19: $3.0MM
- 2019-20: $1.25MM
- 2020-21: $1.25MM
Our own Seth Lawrence listed Hartnell as a potential buyout option last month—along with Antti Niemi who has already been bought out and Kevin Bieksa who remains under contract—and explained why the team needed to move on from the forward, mostly pointing to expansion draft concerns. Hartnell was never asked to waive his NMC for the draft because the team had a deal worked out with Vegas for quite some time to take David Clarkson’s contract off their hands. Clearing him now is just making even more room for the Blue Jackets to make an impact in this summer’s free agency.
Rumored to be interested in everyone from Joe Thornton to Ilya Kovalchuk, the Blue Jackets will now have just under $13MM in cap space this summer, though much of it will be accounted for with internal options. Both Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson need new contracts as restricted free agents, and though neither of them have arbitration rights yet both deserve large raises. The team needs every penny of room, thus the buyout.
For Hartnell, it’s a tough ending to what was a pretty excellent start in Columbus. Scoring 60 points in his first year with the team, he fell all the way down to 37 this year as his role was diminished due to the emergence of some young players. Still one of the better 5-on-5 players in the league, his salary can be better used elsewhere. With the team already making a huge splash to bring in Artemi Panarin, it’s clear that they want to compete right now.
It’s rough timing for Hartnell, just a few months after turning 35. Now any contract he signs with another team will come with certain restrictions that will lower his leverage. Not expected to sign anywhere long-term, he does instantly become an interesting option for many teams on the open market at a reduced price. A player who 20+ goals in nine different seasons doesn’t come along every day, and even if he’s not a 50+ point player any longer he can still help a team’s bottom six.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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