There's plenty of familiarity in the deal for the 35-year-old with more than 1,100 games of NHL experience, 436 of those with the Preds. Not only has he called Music City home before, but he's skated under Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette when the two were in Philadelphia and made a run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
According to Hartnell, that run in 2010 was all Laviolette, and he can't wait for the chance to make it back there again.
"I absolutely love the guy - how do you not?" Hartnell said of Laviolette. "I love his intensity. He's so well spoken, he gets the boys going and our Stanley Cup run in Philadelphia was 100 percent because of Laviolette… Everyone loves his personality, loves his attitude and loves his system, and it works. He's done a great job in his coaching career, so I'm just excited to be a part of the fold and respect the guy that's in charge like Lavi and I can't wait to get this season rolling."
Hartnell admits the buyout in Columbus was tough, but he realized it was best that both sides part ways as the Blue Jackets were looking to move in a different direction. So to go from the low of the buyout 48 hours earlier to the high of a deal in Nashville, it's been a whirlwind of emotions for Hartnell.
But it's all smiles now.
"It's amazing how the city has grown in 17 years since I started there in 2000, and the team that they have now and players they have and everything, it was a pretty easy decision when it all came down to it," Hartnell said. "I've had a smile on my face all morning here out in Kelowna, B.C.
"I just love the way [the Predators] play. I love the team and how it's set up, right from Pekka [Rinne] to the defense corps and the young forwards, it's an awesome mix, and two games away from being Stanley Cup Champions."
Hartnell now gets a chance to be a piece in what he believes is a club that is still at the top of the League when it comes to contending for the ultimate prize. Plus, especially after the buyout, he's more motivated than he's been in a while.
That'll be music to everyone's ears.
"I still think I have a couple of good years left in the tank, and I'm looking forward to proving that here wearing a Predators jersey," Hartnell said. "I was a big fan of the city of Nashville and the team trying to win that Cup, and to be a part of the fold now, it's come almost full circle… I'm just excited to get to Nashville. I wish it was October already."
