Between being forced into a salary dump or signing a guy to a silly extension, neither put the team in spot to get fair trade value.

No idea if it was the best deal avail... I'm sure Hexy/Chief wanting Umby played into it.

I'm just really, really glad they got out from under that contract. Better one year too soon, than a year too late.
- Tomahawk

They gave themselves a more immovable contract though. Hartnell would likely have 60 points this season with G and Jake. That type of player is moveable even with the poopty deal.

Why didn't the Flyers do that then? I think it's pretty safe to say that the trade market for Hartnell was pretty small.
- MJL

We will never know. Maybe Hextall didn't look hard enough? Maybe Hextall and Berube wanted Zombieburger in particular..( God knows why)
Hartnell was a character guy on the team there may have been a " culture" issue but for a guys who is " patient" like Hextall.. He should have been able to get a better deal, even if it was a 3 Rd and a prospect

I feel the deal was made out of resentment for Hartnell instead of rational thought. I feel they wanted him gone so badly, they weren't going to look around much. They found a player they were familiar with and pulled the trigger
- PhillySportsGuy

Hextall doesn't seem like a GM that would make a deal out of resentment for Hartnell. I think that's baseless. They wanted to trade Hartnell for reasons that I talked about previously. He was a player that was in a leadership position that didn't play the game the right way a lot of times, and was undisciplined. I believe that the Flyers probably got other offers that involved taking back similar players that other teams wanted to move on from. I don't believe that they could've just unloaded Hartnell for a draft pick.

We will never know. Maybe Hextall didn't look hard enough? Maybe Hextall and Berube wanted Zombieburger in particular..( God knows why)
Hartnell was a character guy on the team there may have been a " culture" issue but for guys who is " patient" like Hextall.. He should have been able to get a better deal, even if it was a 3 Rd and a prospect
- 3flyerkids

So you think Hextall was just lazy and took the first deal that came along? I don't think other teams were in a hurry to take on the contract and give up prosepcts and draft picks to do so.

They gave themselves a more immovable contract though. Hartnell would likely have 60 points this season with G and Jake. That type of player is moveable even with the poopty deal.
- PhillySportsGuy

Hartnell didn't have 60 points last year.

We will never know. Maybe Hextall didn't look hard enough? Maybe Hextall and Berube wanted Zombieburger in particular..( God knows why)
Hartnell was a character guy on the team there may have been a " culture" issue but for a guys who is " patient" like Hextall.. He should have been able to get a better deal, even if it was a 3 Rd and a prospect
- 3flyerkids

Hartnell was a "character", but I don't think Berube or Hextall saw him as a "character guy". And that is why they wanted to move him. I think they thought he was part of the culture problem; undisciplined both on and off the ice.

So you think Hextall was just lazy and took the first deal that came along? I don't think other teams were in a hurry to take on the contract and give up prpsepcts and draft picks to do so.
- MJL

I don't know if he was " lazy". All am I saying is that maybe Berube was not a fan of Hartnell and he didn't want him on team. The GM moved him. IMO I think Hartnell could have been a good piece in a package deal especially to a Wstern team

Hartnell didn't have 60 points last year.
- MJL

Too bad we can't trade posters like GMs can trade players. Your popularity is equivalent to Clarke's at a Lindros family reunion.

I don't know if he was " lazy". All am I saying is that maybe Berube was not a fan of Hartnell and he didn't want him on team. The GM moved him. IMO I think Hartnell could have been a good piece in a package deal especially to a Wstern team
- 3flyerkids

I think that it's absolutely true that Berube wanted Hartnell moved. To think that Hextall didn't take the best deal available to him, is absurd. If he could've just unloaded the contract and gotten a draft pick and prospects for him, I'm confident that Hextall would've taken that route.

They gave themselves a more immovable contract though. Hartnell would likely have 60 points this season with G and Jake. That type of player is moveable even with the poopty deal.
- PhillySportsGuy

He's producing well below that level right now despite riding shotgun with one of the best young C's in the league and getting copious amounts of PP-time.

Nick (frank)ing Foligno is putting him to shame.

I feel the deal was made out of resentment for Hartnell instead of rational thought. I feel they wanted him gone so badly, they weren't going to look around much. They found a player they were familiar with and pulled the trigger
- PhillySportsGuy

Definitely a possibility and while I do think it was part of why the trade was made, I think other factors weighed more heavily. We may never know though.

Hartnell was a "character", but I don't think Berube or Hextall saw him as a "character guy". And that is why they wanted to move him. I think they thought he was part of the culture problem; undisciplined both on and off the ice.
- MBFlyerfan

He did take a lot of stupid penalties but he did perform well for this team during his tenure. The return for him for not good IMO. He brought some grit to that top line which is lacking now

He's producing well below that level right now despite riding shotgun with one of the best young C's in the league and getting copious amounts of PP-time.

Nick (frank)ing Foligno is putting him to shame.
- Tomahawk

Foligno is going to be a UFA and someone's gonna overpay that dude big time.

Culture and less years on the contract.
- MJL

Easy shorter term, less PIMS, better defensively, cheaper buyout option. How many more years before Hartnell becomes worse than Umberger? Once he hits that level he is literally useless. 5 years left I say he has a good year or 2 left before he is an anchor.

He's producing well below that level right now despite riding shotgun with one of the best young C's in the league and getting copious amounts of PP-time.

Nick (frank)ing Foligno is putting him to shame.
- Tomahawk

Look I don't miss Hartnell. I just don't feel the Flyers got enough value for him

I think that it's absolutely true that Berube wanted Hartnell moved. To think that Hextall didn't take the best deal available to him, is absurd. If he could've just unloaded the contract and gotten a draft pick and prospects for him, I'm confident that Hextall would've taken that route.
- MJL

Who knows what was out there but a Hartnell / Coburn deal to Edmonton or a San Jose.. Could have been interesting.
If they had it in their mind to trade him maybe they could have dug a little deeper to get max value by looking for a package deal.
Umberger for Hartnell= BAD

Hartnell and JVR could be playing LW on this team... But we have a healthy scratch and a Zombie instead... Not good at all!

Look I don't miss Hartnell. I just don't feel the Flyers got enough value for him
- PhillySportsGuy

Agree 100%

Look I don't miss Hartnell. I just don't feel the Flyers got enough value for him
- PhillySportsGuy

The value that was available has to be considered in coming to that judgement. I think it's fair to assume that the Flyers took the best deal available to them in a trade. They could've chosen to keep Hartnell.

Look I don't miss Hartnell. I just don't feel the Flyers got enough value for him
- PhillySportsGuy

Most def.

I just hope this new GM will stop the Flyers from doing this so often:

Who knows what was out there but a Hartnell / Coburn deal to Edmonton or a San Jose.. Could have been interesting.
If they had it in their mind to trade him maybe they could have dug a little deeper to get max value by looking for a package deal.
Umberger for Hartnell= BAD

Hartnell and JVR could be playing LW on this team... But we have a healthy scratch and a Zombie instead... Not good at all!
- 3flyerkids

We could play fantasy hockey all day and discuss prospective trades.

Too bad we can't trade posters like GMs can trade players. Your popularity is equivalent to Clarke's at a Lindros family reunion.
- Fast_Eddie_1

This!

We could play fantasy hockey all day and discuss prospective trades.
- MJL

Yes we could but when comes to getting a return of Healthy scratch and RJ for Hartnell and JVR..it's a closed case. We got burned!!!!

Yes we could but when comes to getting a return of Healthy scratch and RJ for Hartnell and JVR..it's a closed case. We got burned!!!!
- 3flyerkids

We got burned in the Patric Sharp trade also.

He did take a lot of stupid penalties but he did perform well for this team during his tenure. The return for him for not good IMO. He brought some grit to that top line which is lacking now
- 3flyerkids

I agree with everything said here.

I was just stating an opinion based on what I have heard and read that a big part of the reason Berube wanted him gone was his character. IE, not willing or able to play a more disciplined game on the ice, and be more disciplined off the ice in terms of his work ethic and conditioning.

They gave themselves a more immovable contract though. Hartnell would likely have 60 points this season with G and Jake. That type of player is moveable even with the poopty deal.
- PhillySportsGuy

Being able to give BSchenn time on the 1st line and top PP unit was another reason to move Hartnell.