Scott Hartnell is 31 years old and has 5 years and 22.5 million dollars left on a contract with a 4.75 million cap hit, and is coming off a year that had him on the same 30 point pace as some other notorious disappointments around the NHL.
If he would cost much more than a 7th round pick and Philip Larsen, it must be because Holmgrem thinks the Flyers have 2 freebee buyouts each year under the new CBA.
Hartnell broke his foot and missed the first month of the season, and struggled a bit on a bad team coming back.
He's also in the age range of all the powerforwards on the market this year(Clowe - 30, Clarkson - 29), and will likely end up with the lowest cap hit of all three of them, he's also a superior player.