1 mil is teeny? When any of the previous guys signed most here complained there was no "home town discount" of course ignoring how much the players pay in taxes in CA. So your "teeny ass discount" is actually about double what you're trying to say due to taxes. Mackinnon was an RFA when he signed correct? Not comparable. Talk to me about #1 centers who signed prior to UFA.
I am not arguing whether Hertl is or isnt a number 1 center. I am not arguing if Mack is comparable to Hertl. I am not arguing that Hertl could or could not get 10mil on the open market as a UFA.
All I was arguing is that according to YOU, 8x8 is a team friendly contract, then shortly thereafter in the same post you say 9 would be a steal of a contract, that makes no damn sense.
How can a contract be a steal, but also not be team friendly, since YOU said 8x8 is team friendly. Do you understand now what actually confused me about your post?
However now that that is out of the way, lets actually argue your other point which I happen to disagree with.
Hertl is not worth 10mil, even on the open market. There are only 6 centers making 10+mil in the NHL, of those 6 Hertl is only better/equal to Toews(and maybe Eichel if he never returns to form), and Toews only got that contract because he won a couple cups first, and it is considered massive overpayment at this point, and even at the time people were not happy with that AAV for him.
So 10+mil is out of the equation. Hertl has no argument for making 10+mil based on his current or past production, play, and health. Any team giving him 10 mil will be instantly laughed at for overpaying Hertl by at least 1 million.
Lets look then at 9+mil centers. Only 3 of those. Hertl is not better than Malkin, when Seguin singed his contract he was better than Hertl, even if Hertl may be better now. So that leaves Backstrom. He signed as a UFA, at 9.2 mil, and was FAR more productive than Hertl in his career leading up to that point.
So given all that, even 9mil would be a bit pricey for Hertl, however we all know GMs love to give out silly contracts to UFA's, so I would not be shocked if Hertl made 9mil on the open market.
In reality though, we are talking about an oft injured, one time 70+ pt, two way center. 8mil would be about right for him if you trust his injuries are behind him. Heck how can he argue for more than that, when 32yo Logan Couture is currently outproducing Hertl right now, and makes 8mil. I think Hertl is better than Couture, but I also think Couture is overpaid by about 1 mil, so 8mil for Hertl makes sense.