from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

The Blue Jackets traded disgruntled winger R.J. Umberger and a fourth-round draft pick to Philadelphia yesterday for Scott Hartnell. There is nothing small about this deal.

It was done within the Metropolitan Division, which took a lot of nerve on the part of Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and his Flyers counterpart, Ron Hextall. It involved former first-round picks with recognizable names and healthy contracts. This was big-boy stuff.

Kekalainen deserves high marks.

First off, he found a buyer for Umberger, which was no small feat.

Umberger had asked to be traded. Everyone knew it. If a buyer could not be found, there was a very real possibility that Umberger would have to be bought out — which is both expensive and counterproductive. Buyouts are bad business.

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