not even close

Might be a bit short on quality here, probably add a 2nd or another prospect?

All depends on opinion on Ranta, he is 20yrs old is a ppg player at Minnesota and has tools out the wazoo, but yeah it’s still short on quality because Patteryn and Calvert have zero value to SJS.

I just can't see Joe Sakic going after a forward, particularly with the expansion draft coming up. Adding Hertl means increasing the chance of losing someone valuable, and this year's team is tied for second with Washington behind only Tampa for best goals-for per game. I think that if he does anything significant, it will be for a goalie.

I’m a Gopher fan and I wonder if he’s one of those guys that dominates at the NCAA level but can’t bring it to the NHL. I think he could be a bottom 6 guy but you’d be stretching above that IMO.

They need a guy like Staal. And just overall depth, top 6 help is overkill.

I'm not sure "need" is the right word; maybe "could use."

So we get...

- An expiring 4th liner with serious injury issues
- An expiring 8th D-man
- A B/C-tier PPG NCAA prospect
- What will likely be a late 1st in 2022 (which I will admit is better than a 2021 1st)

Only thing that moves the needle here is that 1st. Gonna have to add more if u want 1.5 years of Hertl, I'm sorry.

hertls worth more. also please dont trade calvert.

I think he is the classic boom or bust guy. He is fast, has a really good shot, but wonder why he doesn’t do more. On one of the Avs podcast the guys make a decent comparison to him and Burakovsky though I don’t think his shot is as good as Burakovsky. You see him more than me, but it seems to me he plays up and down the ice really well but needs to be paired with a creative set up guy that can get him the puck, would you agree with that?

No thanks

I think top potential is a 3rd liner that can put up 20 goals off the rush with his speed and shot, but that’s best case. That he needs a creator is spot on for zone control offense, but if he commits to defense he could be useful.

The thing is college just makes more mistakes than pro and the gophs have a d Corp that can get the puck up ice to a guy that’s bigger than everybody else and faster than everybody else and has a shot that can make you pay. That speed and size really hides weaknesses in the game of college players because it matters that much more.

PS: I don’t think it’s coincidence that his scoring totals have increased with the maturity and effectiveness of the Gopher d Corp.