NHL Trade Rumors: Three teams that should trade for Scott Hartnell

2. Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a team that is on the rise. They are also a team that value analytics and possession numbers quite highly with their recent front office makeover. If they are as analytically minded as expected, they will take a look at Scott Hartnell, a player whose underlying numbers suggest is often undervalued.

Hartnell is a player who tends to have a very positive effect on his team as far as shot attempts are concerned. Granted, outshooting your opponent doesn’t give you a guaranteed win. However, if you are on ice for more shot attempts for than shot attempts against, it’s hard to argue that you aren’t helping your team. 2015-16 saw a bit of a slip in his numbers, but he still wound up with a 1.2 percent Corsi For relative percentage, which measures the effect on shot attempts that a player has on his team. Over the past three seasons, he has a 3.0 percent mark in that category.

Florida would benefit from Hartnell and Hartnell would likely benefit from playing alongside any of the Panthers’ top three centers. The Panthers have had power play struggles for many years. There are other factors as well, but the most obvious one is their lack of pressure around the crease. Hartnell excels at screening and takes pride in cleaning up rebounds. He’s the kind of presence that their power play has dearly missed.

Next: 1. Nashville Predators