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New York Rangers: Exploring a trade for Tomáš Hertl

By Michael DeRosa

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 27: Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on March 27, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Sharks 4-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 27: Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on March 27, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Sharks 4-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Apr 24, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) watches the big screen displaying the career of San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12), who is in the background with his family at SAP Center before the game against the Minnesota Wild at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) watches the big screen displaying the career of San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12), who is in the background with his family at SAP Center before the game against the Minnesota Wild at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

Yet, there are some potential cons to note in a Hertl deal.

The biggest red flag with acquiring Hertl is his past knee trouble. Over his career, he tore his ACL and PCL in both knees. Although he has since been able to bounce back and is still a very good forward, one has to wonder how he will age in this league because of it. At this said time, he is still just 27 years old and clearly in his prime. However, if he were to severely injure one of his knees again, it could be extremely detrimental to his career in the long-run.

Furthermore, if a trade were to occur before or during the season, the Rangers would run the risk of losing him to free agency during the off-season. With Hertl still being young and having his first real chance to cash in, he may not be willing to sign an extension immediately upon arriving. They also have the monstrous tasks of re-signing Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox to their next contracts.

These two important tasks makes the possibility of re-signing Hertl a bit lower, especially if they each end up receiving big paydays. Keep in mind, their other young players will end up needing extensions in the future, too.

Ultimately, bringing in Hertl would be very exciting and would make the team look better for at least the short-term. Yet, the potential cons are important to remember, too.

Related Story. On September 7 in Rangers history: The HOF welcomes 3 Blueshirts (sort of). light

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