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Flyers need more from Hartnell

scotthartnellgetty

After a career-year that earned him a hefty six-year, $28.5 million contract extension in 2011-12, everything that went right seemed to go wrong for Scott Hartnell in 2013.

That extension kicks in next season, so what can the Philadelphia Flyers expect from the 31-year-old going forward? It might be best to study the past.

Tough luck

Hartnell really had a rough time last season.

That might be best symbolized by the fact that an unlikely injury made him miss 16 games, as Kimmo Timonen’s shot broke his foot.

If that wasn’t enough, the puffy-haired winger bounced around Philly’s lines, failing to maintain his cushy gig alongside Claude Giroux.

As Broad Street Hockey notes, Hartnell’s shooting percentages were way down compared to 2011-12, which was just a blessed campaign.

All the breaks

Boy, did things go well in 2011-12, though.

Hartnell set career-highs for goals (37), points (67), shots on goal (232) and shooting percentage 15.9. He seemed to nail both the quality and quantity categories.

No doubt, Hartnell played over his head, although it’s worth noting that he produced one similar scoring season. He scored 30 goals and 30 assists for 60 points in 2008-09, his second in Philly.
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It seems like Hartnell’s 2013-14 expectations should probably be somewhere between 2013 and 2011-12.

He’s been surprisingly sturdy before 2013 - he only missed three contests in his first five Flyers seasons - yet his rugged style and increasing age indicate that he might be on the shelf at least a little more often.

Sticking with Giroux could be a key to maximizing his numbers, yet he’s fairly reliable for somewhere between 20-30 goals each season.

Long story short, for a player who popularized #Hartnelldown, most of the signs are looking up.

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