Why does a rebuilding team take Drouin. Pass. I dont see an elite prospect here.

No, what you see is 2 solid prospects, a 1st, a 2nd, and a definite 2nd/3rd line roster player for a center that's rumored to want out of your city. Hertl is a great player and valuable asset but you cant be unreasonable with the return.

Need an elite prospect and no Drouin. Trust me, another team will have a more appropriate package. This just won’t get it done.

Two okay prospects (almost no team would slot either of them in their top3 prospects), an expected late first and a second. Other offers on this site alone have included packages like Boldy&Greenway&1st, Denisenko&Samoskevich&1st, and Debrusk&Vaakanainen&1st

His price (with extension in place) is at least an A-level prospect, another good asset, and a first-rounder. And no cap dumbs.

There's no way any team can bring Hertle in without sending a contract to San Jose. Unless it's Buffalo or Ottawa, both of which aren't giving up thier first for him. May not be a cap dump but definitely going to be a player that's paid worth more then his worth

You can send a contract back. Like DeBrusk or Greenway. Just not a player who makes the same as Hertl while not being even half the player😂

As you list two players that are basically the same as Drouin point wise and are both on teams that would have to send a cap dump with those contracts to make sure they could resign Hertle.

Point being with the cap not going up signifantly any time soon San Jose will likely have to eat a contract in any Hertle deal, something you will likely see in every trade over the next couple years.

Yeah, they are just like Drouin point-wise. You could just get both of them for the same price as Drouin.

Also, I don't think either would have to maneuver the cap too much to give Hertl his ~2M raise

Bruins would have minor moves to make it work, the Wild however have the Suter and Parise buyouts taking up the bulk of cap space next year so they'd have to make major moves.

The Wild will have the buyout penalties hit two years from now. Then, they'll have ELC-players like Rossi and Boldy on the roster. They can keep their team almost completely intact