Quoting: TomAce
The cap will go up, so idk why that doesn’t hold water, the only reason it hasn’t elevated is cause of Covid. 8m for an elite 2C is a reasonable price.
Plus, to get rid of Campbell for a good player is a big part of this, and that has a lot of value in itself.
Comparable buys? Tough to say because teams don’t trade good, controllable players often. But a JT miller rings a bell somewhat. The contract might not be good in 2028, but I think it’s pretty good till about then.
I think we are downplaying how good a Hertl will be on a team like the Oilers rn. They’d be tough to matchup with.
wasn't JT miller traded at like 25 or 26 with three years left? hardly a comparable.
players like Hertl don't get moved because teams don't want to pay to take on that kind of risk.
Listen, the guy is north of 30, at an age where most forwards start the decline, and kind of frequently fall off a cliff to buyout territory (and i believe his contract is really hard to buy out). He gets an absurd amount of ice time, and the production isn't there to match. He's 323rd in the NHL in points/60. probably not exactly fair, so lets refine to guys that get 14+ minutes at 5 on 5. not a ton of those, 59 forwards to be exact. he ranks 50th! that's not good. two of those guys after him have combined for three total games.
With most players, they're very underpaid on their first two contracts, and at the end, they get the big ticket UFA deal, and the last few years look bad, sometimes really bad. No team is going to say, "congrats, you got all the good years. we'll pay you to give us the bad ones!"
it just isn't really a thing.