I thought columbus was trying to trade Hartnell to get out of his contract due to cap constraints? I know they bought out a couple players and resigned Jones. Also Torts seemed to not be to impressed with Hartnell and had him up and down the lineup.
What does Columbus need in return, lw rw d?
I don't agree with your impression. Hartnell was available due to cap constraints, but now that Jones is signed long term and there is cap space available from the Tyutin and Boll buyouts there is no reason to trade him unless the trade makes Columbus better.
Hartnell is a cheap 1 or 2 W. He's not slowing down and is an important player in Columbus. Tortorella does seem to like him and plays him up and down the lineup to leverage his abilities- he can mentor and create space for the young guys, he's always a threat to score and he agitates.
It's hard to replace 20+ goals.
Think of it this way: What would you want for the Yotes least valuable 20 goal scorer?
Here's another way to look at it: what would the Coyotes want for Vermette? He's a similar age and scores less than Hartnell.