New Flyer Hartnell ready to show his grit

Scott Hartnell understands that if your salary jumps from $1.75 million to an average of $4.2 million, your goal production should jump as well.

Hartnell, who signed a six-year, $25.2 million contract with the Flyers last month, averaged 23 goals the last two years in Nashville. The Flyers tentatively have the left winger penciled in the training-camp lineup with Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul. So those goal totals should be rising.

"I hope to break into the top two lines," Hartnell said during his introduction yesterday at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees. "I put a lot of pressure on myself this year. It is a big year. Every summer you work out and try to be the best player you can be, and coming in here on a six-year deal, I am going to have the same expectations of myself.

"Jeff Carter, I played with at the world championships a couple of years ago. Joffrey Lupul . . . is a great guy who can put the puck on the net - a feisty guy. Whoever anybody plays with should be happy. This is going to be a top-notch team this year."

The 25-year-old, who looks like a young Randy Quaid, right down to his scraggly beard, epitomizes the kind of player who has worn orange and black: a scrapper in the corners, a guy who hits in front and is unafraid to drop the gloves.

For the money they are paying him, the Flyers expect Hartnell to become an offensive force.

"We look for big things from him," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He's a big, rugged kid. We think he is just scratching the surface of his potential. . . . We're going to have six years to see it."

Hartnell came to the Flyers with Kimmo Timonen in the trade that returned to the Predators the first-round pick they gave up for Peter Forsberg last winter. He is fully recovered from the broken right foot he suffered late last season. Hartnell, who wore No. 17 in Nashville, will wear the No. 19 that was worn here by Kyle Calder.

"Everyone brings a different element to the game," Hartnell said. "I'm a hard-nosed, gritty player who tries never to take a shift off, whether you are up five goals or down five goals. I'll be ready to play every night. That is one of the things I kind of pride myself on. It's a long season - 82 games. You can't be your best every night, but you have to try and find a way to be the best player you can."

Loose pucks. Two sources in Finland said that right winger Teemu Selanne was considering signing with the Flyers to rekindle his international playing days with Kimmo Timonen and Sami Kapanen. Holmgren said the thought of Selanne's playing here never crossed his mind, because the Flyers are less than $900,000 under the NHL cap. He expects Selanne to re-sign with Anaheim. "This is one of those cases where there is smoke but no fire," Holmgren said. . . . The new Reebok form-fitting jerseys that will be mandatory throughout the league this fall are on sale on the Flyers' Web site, www.philadelphiaflyers.com. The jerseys come in road white and home black. . . . Defenseman Mike Rathje underwent abdominal surgery in hopes of easing the pain in his back but remains on the long-term injury list. If he were to play, the Flyers would have to add his $3.5 million salary and would be over the cap by almost $3 million. . . . The NHL schedule will be released today.