hertls a 1c but not elite. i believe your overall scoring production needs to be much higher to be considered elite.



split him from werenski and he wont be considered elite anymore.

Not with the current SJS roster. I doubt he ever gets 70+ points again unless he gets traded. And even if he does get 70+ points that’s not an “elite centre”

Not everyone has two franchise picks for their centers. I and many others would call him elite

Then I guess other players who have hit 70+ points are elite like Duchene and Couture. You’re using the world “elite” too lightly. He’s a fringe 1C

Also I wouldn’t complain about lacking a franchise centre. Thornton is a first ballot HOFER.

If you cant tell the difference between those players and Hertl you arent watching enough. Those guys are not supreme play drivers like Hertl

@bhavikp27 @GMs @mhockey91 @Isles777 @mondo @KakkoForMauriceRichardAward @moli92 @RawZuccSauce420 @Ledge_And_Dairy @papishark idk I felt this was easier than getting all the replies, sorry in advance if it’s a bit much of an @

Whether we all disagree a lot I think it’s a good discussion to see on Hertl. I think going to analytical is too much and going all eye test is also to much.

Imo I think a lot of good points were made on both ends. In my belief Hertl is elite, but that’s based off how we view other players. Some of us brought up the “ranks” of players. Hertl is elite, Jones is elite. Eichel, Matthews aren’t elite their “superstars/ near franchise players”. Crosby, McDavid are franchise players. A lot of this depends on how we each view other players and that causes a lot of disparity I think. I view Barzal as a elite for example but would I rather have Hertl or Barzal - easily Barzal at this point. They’re both elite but not the same at all. Hertl’s eye test is huge for me and I view him every year for over 50-60 regular season games (its hard to be a sharks fan on the east coast and catch all regular season games but I ensure to see all playoffs). He’s been my top rated sharks player for a while - I thought he was our best player even when Pavs was here in 2018-19. 19-20 I believed the same thing. In the playoffs even, in 18-19 I believed Hertl made a huge difference. Analytically Hertl gains a stronger case, but once again as many have you have said - his point totals aren’t eye popping and to be elite he needs to drive point totals higher but also he’s not all points. And he’s also dealt with career detailing injuries that probably have stifled his full potential and hurt his career (unfortunately Dustin Brown is a person, lol jk I’ve kinda forgiven/ gave up that ill will).

I think it’s fair to say Hertl is just a good 1C, but I also believe it’s fair to say he’s elite - it’s a lot of subjectivity but in my rankings I would say Hertl is elite, but not near the top of the food chain by any means.

I guess it just depends on your definition of “elite”

I hold elite to a higher standard. These terms are all subjective anyways there isn’t a true definition for elite/franchise/1st line etc

I believe there's a way to have an objective definition:
Franchise level player: a guy who'll make the HoF while also being considered to be the of one of the very best players of his generation
Elite: players who can carry a team
Top line plyers: great players but players who need to have help in order to have sustained success, like these kind of players likely can't make 3rd liners look like top liners, even for a short time like a few weeks

I could go on but I hope u get the point

yeah I like this tbh.

id probably slot Hertl in as a top line player then. great player, but he can't carry a team