The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired left wing Scott Hartnell from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for former Flyer R.J. Umberger and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft.
The 32-year old Hartnell picked up 157 goals, 169 assists -- and over 900 penalty minutes in seven seasons in Philadelphia. In a conference call Monday with reporters, Hartnell, who has five years remaining on his contract, said he was shocked to learn that management wanted trade him. "You know, to be honest, I was pretty shocked at first. I was a little angry, I guess. But, took a few days to look at the situation and I finally decided that Columbus is an up-and-coming team, it's got a lot of young, great players. And I decided that it was the right decsion for me to go to a team that was very, very excited to have me, from a team that basically said I was done there. So, sad in a lot of respects, but happy going forward."
Umberger, an Ohio State University alum, spent 3 years with the Flyers before he was acquired by Columbus in 2008. He had made it known that he wanted out of Columbus. Last season Umberger had 18 goals and 16 assists, and helped the Jackets reach the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history.
