The Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets hooked up to make a deal involving veteran wingers, both of whom have size and can score. Wholesale Jerseys USA . Numbers Game looks into the trade that sends Scott Hartnell to Columbus for R.J. Umberger and a pick. The Blue Jackets Get: LW Scott Hartnell. Hartnell, 32, is coming off a season in which he scored 20 goals for the seventh time in his career and his 52 points represented the third-highest total of his career. Since joining the Flyers in 2007, hes one of eight players with at least 100 goals and 500 penalty minutes. While Hartnell does take more than his share of penalties, hes an aggravating player to play against, doesnt hesitate to go to the other teams net and has a tendency to fall, which means he also draws a lot of penalties. So long as hes healthy, Hartnell gets involved in the play. Despite his style of play, Hartnell is durable. Hes missed 23 games in seven seasons with the Flyers, including 16 games with a broken foot in 2013. Part of the reason that Hartnell has been so effective is that he has been riding shotgun alongside Claude Giroux for a good portion of the last handful of seasons. While Hartnell isnt necessarily the one driving play on that line, hes been a very good complement to Giroux and Jakub Voracek, most recently, as that trio has generated better possession numbers together than when they were apart. In Columbus, that ability to play with top talent, could give Hartnell a legitimate chance to spend time on the wing with Ryan Johansen on the Blue Jackets first line, though Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton can make some claims to those wing spots as well. Where this deal could become an issue for Columbus is that Hartnell is signed through 2019, thats five more seasons, at a cap hit of $4.75-million. Hartnell isnt the fleetest afoot already, so as he gets into his mid-thirties, that is only going to be more of an issue in a game that is getting ever faster. But, if Hartnell could fill a top six role for the next couple seasons, and a third or fourth line spot for a couple more, then maybe the last year could be tolerable when compared to what the Blue Jackets felt they could be getting out of Umberger going forward. The Flyers Get: LW R.J. Umberger and a fourth-round pick. Umberger is a 32-year-old who can play all three forward spots and is a five-time 20-goal scorer who has hit for 50 points or more three times in his career. This past season, Umbergers role was reduced, his 16:53 average time on ice representing his lowest since 2006-2007, when he was playing for Philadelphia. While Umberger doesnt stir things up the way Hartnell does, hes still a physical player, using his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame to his advantage and Umberger is a stronger skater. The trouble for Umberger is that hes been getting worse as a possession player. He had some okay years mixed with some bad years earlier in his career, but Umberger has been thumped in possession terms over the past three seasons and virtually every one of his teammates has fared better without Umberger on the ice. That doesnt mean Umberger cant play. It does mean he was likely playing too big a role on a Columbus team that, until 2013-2014, has been on the wrong side of the scoreboard all too often. Where does Umberger fit in Philadelphia? Well, his flexibility does help in this respect. While Umberger isnt necessarily a natural choice to play with Giroux and Voracek, playing alongside Sean Couturier and Matt Read could be a possibility. Umberger has also played enough centre that he could fit into that spot if the Flyers juggle some pieces around when composing their lines. If Umberger isnt going to play on the Flyers top line, thats a plum opening. If it is going to come from within, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn or Vincent Lecavalier could get that opportunity. Umberger is signed for three more seasons, at a cap hit of $4.6-million per season, so he doesnt provide much cap relief, aside from the fact that his deal runs a couple of years less than Hartnells. A fourth-round pick doesnt offer huge value, but of the 600 picks in the 91-120 range made between 1990 and 2009, just over 4% became top-six forwards, top-four defencemen or starting goaltenders, while just under 20% have played (or are most likely to play) 100 NHL games. Immediately, the Blue Jackets appear to be the better team for making this deal. Not that Hartnell holds a monumental advantage over Umberger, but hes been more productive and has fared positively no matter who he plays with. Umberger had requested a move out of Columbus, not appreciating his declining role, and he should have a chance to play a top nine role in an organization that he played with for the first three seasons of his NHL career but, in a vacuum, this deal makes the Flyers slightly worse. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Jerseys Supply . The team announced the moves before Sundays game against Houston. Shaw was 1-4 with a 4.26 ERA in 43 games for the Diamondbacks. Bergesen was claimed off waivers from Baltimore on Friday. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. http://www.cheapjerseysforwholesale.us.com/ . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hello Kerry, Hope you can shed some light on the Dustin Tokarski incident during the Habs-Red Wings game on Sunday. Tokarski took a puck off the mask which apparently dislodged one of the straps on his mask. Although he was frantically motioning to the ref to blow the whistle, play was allowed to continue and the Red Wings eventually scored, ruining his chance for a shutout. It seems like the refs are in a no-win situation there but when the puck, while still in the offensive zone is not being directed toward the goal, shouldnt the play be stopped to allow the goalie to fix his equipment? Randy Trimm Hey Randy: The unbuckled or broken strap on Dustin Tokarskis mask, resulting from a Danny DeKeyser shot, appears to have been a distraction of sorts for the Montreal goalkeeper but it did not compromise his personal safety in any way. The referee correctly allowed play to continue until such time as Montreal either gained possession of the puck; it cleared the end zone or ended up in the back of the net. Even though there was a short time when the puck was not being directed at the goal, Detroit did however maintain control of the puck and sustained continuous pressure in the Montreal end zone finishing with a goal by Riley Sheahan. Rule 9.6 is very clear on the subject as to when the referee should stop play: When a goalkeeper has lost his helmet and/or face mask and his team has control of the puck, the play shall be stopped immediately to allow the goalkeeper the opportunity to regain his helmet and/or face mask. When the opposing team has control of the puck, play shall only be stopped if there is no immediate and impending scoring opportunity. Tokarski did not lose his helmet and/or face mask as cited in the above rule but instead it remained in position and provided normal protection in spite of the unbuckled snap. As a result, it is most reasonable for the referee to judge that a broken strap did not compromise the goalies safety nor shhould it impede the goalkeepers ability to defend his net. Cheap Jerseys From China. Lets suppose that Tokarski grabbed his mask and pulled it off his head and then discarded it to the side to really get the refs attention. Rule 9.6 also goes on to state that when a goalkeeper deliberately removes his helmet and/or face mask to secure a stoppage of play, the Referee shall stop play as outlined (reference to immediate and impending scoring opportunity) and in this case assess the goalkeeper a minor penalty for delaying the game. There is a more cagey way for a goalie to flip his damaged mask off with a series of head shakes and not incur the delay of game penalty. Jonathan Quick of the LA Kings is quite proficient in this area of expertise. When I first signed an NHL contract in 1973, I was assigned to work in the minor professional leagues where I often had the good fortune to travel with team scouts. I learned so much listening to these legendary former NHL players, including Johnny Bower and Lorne Gump Worsley. These two former great goalkeepers played almost all of their careers without a mask. The scars on their face looked like a road map to the back roads of Canada! Johnny and Gump told me of being hit in the face with pucks and sticks but never giving up on the play until they either covered the puck or the referee blew his whistle. They didnt complain about having to stop pucks with their face if necessary, it was just an expect part of their job. These men, along with the others of their time, were a very special breed. Granted it was a different era in the game but there just might be a lesson the current crop of goalkeepers could learn if their strap comes unbuckled—dont stop playing until you hear a whistle blow even if it means stopping the puck with your face(mask)! Johnny Bower is one of the nicest men you could ever meet. Mr. Bower turned 90 years of age on November 8 and was honored by the Toronto Maple Leafs in their game against the NY Rangers. The sellout crowd in the Air Canada Centre serenaded the hockey legend with happy birthday and they didnt stop singing until the whistle blew. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
