TomasHertlsRooster
Don’t say eye test when you mean points
Sharks fans would, they would also subtract jumbo and add Kane.
It’s not even just Sharks fans who would do that. Literally anybody who pays attention to hockey outside of their own team would list Hertl and Meier as a part of the Sharks core because they are undoubtedly 2 of the 3 best forwards on the team.
There is no world where the top scoring center and top scoring winger on a team are not both part of the core. Literally no team in NHL history, AHL history, or any other league that plays hockey has ever put together a team in which the top scoring center and the top scoring winger were not part of the team’s core.
Not ignoring Hertl and Meier, just highlighting that they haven't been considered part of the Sharks' core since they joined the team, though they are trending that way. I wouldn't consider Kane a core piece, in the ilk of Kessel/Drouin/Vanek/Galchenyuk/Green. Thornton is still part of your core by virtue of still being on your team; he's important and he's filled a role for several years and you haven't gotten rid of him yet- that's all. You can't discount aged players from your core because they've graduated past your age limit. Third line center has nothing to do with it- the core is just players that you build your team around.
FWIW, I only consider Weber, Price, and Gallagher to be a part of the Habs' core.
By the way that you’re classifying players as part of San Jose’s core, I’m guessing that you considered Plekanec to be part of the core going into last season and not Gallagher.