If there was a 1.5 line he would be there

Never mind, I stand corrected. Hertl is for sure a 1st line player after looking at advanced stats.
However, I still believe that Barkov is better by a significant margin, he just had a down year in 2019-20 which makes his overall play look worse. I fully expect him to go back to 2018-19 form, which was his monster season.

I agree, but Hertl is a guy that anyone would love to have on their team, especially with his caphit

I respect that you were willing to look into it and change your mind. It is hard to judge a player just from points and limited viewings. Barkov is fantastic no doubt and I think he can be a great 90 point player in the right situation, but I think Hertls ability is to do something like what Barkov did last year, which is pretty damn good also.

I mean, he played 8 AHL games total. A couple were rehab assignments. He jumped into the NHL and got PP time immediately, as well as playing with Stone and Pacioretty for a few games. If he doesn’t get hurt last year, he’s putting up 40ish points which is precisely the goal for Rossi. As for his role as a 3C, there is legitimate reason to put him in the top 6 and part of the reason I want the Wild to peel him off. Glass was a #6 pick and Rossi was #9, the comparison holds.

Glass has 22 AHL Playoff games. I'm not sure how you get 40 points for him last year. He had 12p in 39 games is a 3rd line sheltered role, half his points were from the PP.
That same 2017 draft class centers:
-Andersson (7oa) dumped for a 2nd pick.
-Mitts (8oa) rushed into the NHL, might be a bust at this point.
-Rasmussen (9oa) played a NHL season playing bottom-6 wing, to get him out of the CHL, then spent the next year in the AHL
-Vilardi (10oa) played half a season in the AHL then got a NHL cup of coffee to end the year in his 20ya season.
-Necas (11oa) Czech league, a year in the AHL, his 1st NHL was as a 21 yo, as a wing.

There just aren't many players that make a successful jump from the CHL/college to the NHL as a 19/20 yo top-6 center right out of the gate. Most play quality players get at least half a season in the AHL, then get their feet wet in the NHL in a sheltered role (O-zone 3/4C or playing as a wing). The NHL game is so much faster, more complex, the skill level of every player on the ice is so much higher, and players are bigger and stronger.

This is why I really don't like the NHL/CHL transfer clause for top players. Someone like Rossi (Dumba before him) has shown he's too good for the CHL, but might not be ready for meaningful NHL minutes. A year in the AHL top-6 would be the best thing for his development. Then he should be ready to take the step NHL roster as a 20 yo.

That’s exactly my point, he will step into the league when he’s 20 but that doesn’t mean he’s going to produce at a top 6 rate at that point and that’s OK. I also agree that drafted 19 year olds should be allowed to play in the AHL if they were a CHL product but cest la vie.