Blue Jackets buy out Scott Hartnell
The Columbus Blue Jackets have bought out the final two years of Scott Hartnell's contract, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced Thursday.
"On behalf of our organization, I want to thank Scott for his contributions to the Blue Jackets over the past three seasons and wish him well in the future," said Kekalainen. "Moves like this are never easy, but with our current organizational depth at the position it is something we believe is in the best interest of our club moving forward."
Here's a look at the financial breakdown of the buyout, per Cap Friendly.
| Season | Cost | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | $1.25M | $1.5M |
| 2018-19 | $1.25M | $3M |
| 2019-20 | $1.25M | $1.25M |
| 2020-21 | $1.25M | $1.25M |
#BlueJackets buying out Scott Hartnell saves the club $3.25M on their cap this season, giving them roughly $12.887M in projected cap space.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 29, 2017
Hartnell spent three seasons in Columbus, recording 64 goals and 82 assists in 234 regular-season games. He failed to record a point in four playoff games this year, and was frequently scratched by head coach John Tortorella.
Following the buyout, Hartnell is now free to sign anywhere around the NHL as an unrestricted free agent.