Nugent-Hopkins didn't get a ton of even-strength ice-time with McDavid, so the fact that many of his points still came when he was on the ice with McDavid goes to show his potential when surrounded by high-level offensive talent (like San Jose has to offer Hertl). If Nugent-Hopkins got a full season on McDavid's wing, he might have put up Draisaitl-esque numbers. Well, maybe not 50 goals and 100 points, but he would have outproduced Hertl for sure.
Instead, Nugent-Hopkins was limited to power-play time with Edmonton's top offensive talents, while having to carry a second line that most often featured Lucic or Khaira on the left and Puljujarvi or Chiasson on the right. That's not much of a supporting cast, not compared to Hertl, who played 21 per cent of his even-strength ice-time with Couture and Meier on that loaded top line, plus 27 per cent with Kane and Donskoi.
You tell me, who is in the better position to succeed:
Kane-Hertl-Donskoi
Hertl-Couture-Meier
(with Burns and Karlsson on the back end)
Lucic-RNH-Chiasson
Khaira-RNH-Puljujarvi
(with Klefbom and Nurse on the back end)
5-on-5:
Hertl: 0.98 goals/60, 2.61 points/60
RNH WITH McDavid: 0.8 goals/60, 1.91 points/60
Yeah, maybe he would have scored more raw points than Hertl as a function of playing with McDavid and playing 44 more PP minutes than Hertl and 129 more 5V5 minutes than Hertl. But would that make him the better? Absolutely f***ing not!
In apples to apples situations?
Hertl on McDavid's wing playing 1648 minutes in Edmonton would score more points than RNH would, and more importantly, would be the far better all-around player who would contribute more to his team's success.
RNH as the Sharks #1C with Kane and Donskoi would score fewer points than Hertl, and more importantly, would be the far weaker all-around player who would make lesser contributions to his team's success. Furthermore, I'm quite confident in saying that if you replaced RNH with Hertl in the first round and simulated that series 100 times, the Sharks would lose that series every single time.
It also speaks to your ignorance that you keep on mentioning Karlsson, yet you downplay RNH's play with McDavid at every turn. Hertl scored fewer 5-on-5 points with Karlsson on the ice than RNH scored 5-on-5 points with McDavid on the ice, and Hertl scored fewer points at all situations with Karlsson on the ice than RNH did with McDavid on the ice. Hertl also played only 225 5-on-5 minutes with Karlsson on the ice and 93 PP minutes with Karlsson on the ice. By comparison, RNH played 249 PP minutes with McDavid and 376 5-on-5 minutes with him. The only 2 forwards that Hertl played more time with than RNH played with Hertl were Kane and Donskoi.
Your analysis is so lazy it's pathetic. RNH does not hold a candle to Hertl. He can't tie his skates. There is a reason that Oilers fans are not in here defending RNH and it's because your position is wrong and ridiculous.