Hartman traded to Predators by Blackhawks

Ryan Hartman was traded to the Nashville Predators by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday for a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and forward prospect Victor Ejdsell.

"I'm really excited," Hartman, a 23-year-old forward, told TSN. "It's a great team. It's a tough building to play in if you're the opposing team. I'm excited to be there, wearing the yellow, and playing in Nashville."
Nashville also received a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Hartman has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 57 games this season and 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 141 NHL games. He was chosen by the Blackhawks in the first round (No. 30) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
"He's a young player," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's got a lot of grit, a lot of sandpaper, a good skill level. A playoff-type of player, somebody we feel can fit in with our group here."

Hartman is hoping to play for the Predators at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-TN, NHL.TV). Nashville (38-14-9) leads Winnipeg by one point for first place in the Central Division.
The Predators signed forward Mike Fisher to a one-year, $1 million contract for the remainder of the season Monday. Fisher, 37, announced Jan. 31 he was coming out of retirement to join the Predators and has been practicing with them since Feb. 12.
Forward Brandon Bollig and goalie Troy Grosenick were traded to the Predators on Sunday by the San Jose Sharks for a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
"Everything that we've done is to make sure that we've got enough pieces to go the distance," Laviolette said. "There's never any guarantees. Other teams are doing the same thing today. But I think if you see the moves that we've made, even yesterday, a guy like [Bollig] with his toughness, Mike Fisher being signed, we've got a young kid [Eeli Tolvanen] who might be here at some point. We pick up a player like Hartman, we've still got guys down in Milwaukee [American Hockey League] that we really trust and have playoff experience. So everything is about the depth as you move into the later part of the season and certainly the playoff run."
The Blackhawks (27-28-8) are last in the Central Division and trail the Calgary Flames by 11 points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Chicago has not missed the postseason since 2007-08.
"I'm sure they're excited about getting a guy like [Hartman]," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He gives you some competitiveness, and certainly from our point of view, you wish him well and you thank him for what he did for us. It's part of our business."
Edjsell will play in Sweden for the remainder of the season. He has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 44 games for HV71 Jonkoping of the Swedish Hockey League.