Tomas Hertl vs Mika Zibanejad

[BKarchitect]

Two big centers having their breakout seasons...eerily similar on the face of it:

Tale of the tape
Zibanejad: 25 years-old, 6'-2", 213 lbs
Hertl: 25 years-old, 6'-2", 215 lbs

Season to Date:
Zibanejad: 55 GP, 23G, 31A, 54 Pts
Hertl: 52 GP, 26G, 27A, 53 Pts

Contract:
Zibanejad: $5.35 million thru 2021-22
Hertl: $5.625 million thru 2021-22

Click to read more...

 

[Our Lady Peace]

I didn't vote. Way too close to call for me. Equal everything, including individual on-ice impact for their teams.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I just see Hertl with an ability to take over a playoff series that Zibanejad doesn’t have.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Homer vote for Hertl but honestly I think these guys are good statistical comparable for each other at this point in both their careers.

 

[Lays]

I just see Hertl with an ability to take over a playoff series that Zibanejad doesn’t have.

? Zibanejad was our best forward in the 2017 playoffs and routinely takes over games by himself

I’m not going to vote here though, I’d like to see at least one more season for both

 

[780il]

Zibby cause he's right handed

Oil need a right handed high end player

 

[devbouz12]

Zib is awesome but he's had amazing puck luck. Idk how telling his point totals really are.

 

[cgf]

Hertl's adorable and I think on the very top of their powers, Hertl can change a game more...but gimme Zibby. Think he's become more reliable & he has been doing it with a lot less help this year.

 

[Machinehead]

I just see Hertl with an ability to take over a playoff series that Zibanejad doesn’t have.

The way he's playing now, Zibanejad could absolutely beat a team by himself in the playoffs.

I think it's about even.

 

[Machinehead]

Zib is awesome but he's had amazing puck luck. Idk how telling his point totals really are.

Actually, his PDO is below 100.

 

[DRW204]

This is suuuuuuuuuper close for me. I go with Zibanejad, i think he's doing just as good with a tad lesser quality of linemates but this is no where AINEC territory

 

[Mickey Marner]

I like Hertl's game more and if I had to guess blindly, the #1C on the 2nd best offense is probably better than the #1C on the 27th best offense.

 

[Machinehead]

I like Hertl's game more and if I had to guess blindly, the #1C on the 2nd best offense is probably better than the #1C on the 27th best offense.

I would think being on the worse team works in favor of the guy with worse teammates.

Zibanejad is with Kreider now, but he was getting jerked around and played with scrubs until the turn of the new year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I just see Hertl with an ability to take over a playoff series that Zibanejad doesn’t have.

How are you quantifying this?

 

[Mickey Marner]

I would think being on the worse team works in favor of the guy with worse teammates.

Zibanejad is with Kreider now, but he was getting jerked around and played with scrubs until the turn of the new year.

Zibanejad	TOI With	Hertl	TOI With
Kreider	416:13	Couture	366:09
Zuccarello	346:34	Meier	261:16
Fast	254:46	Kane	257:13
Namestinkov	195:39	Donskoi	219:10
Chytil	115:33	Leblanc	108:13
Buchnevich	105:43	Pavelski	82:51

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

*5v5

Looks pretty even to me. Obviously Hertl has elite defensive support.

 

[Machinehead]

Zibanejad	TOI With	Hertl	TOI With
Kreider	416:13	Couture	366:09
Zuccarello	346:34	Meier	261:16
Fast	254:46	Kane	257:13
Namestinkov	195:39	Donskoi	219:10
Chytil	115:33	Leblanc	108:13
Buchnevich	105:43	Pavelski	82:51

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

*5v5

Looks pretty even to me. Obviously Hertl has elite defensive support.

That's not even.

There's exactly one player in the left column who would crack the top 8 in scoring on the Sharks.

 

[gretskidoo]

This is like Toews vs Kopitar from a few years ago. About as close as it can get.

I just see Hertl with an ability to take over a playoff series that Zibanejad doesn’t have.

Their PPGs are nearly identical in the playoffs.

Zib is awesome but he's had amazing puck luck. Idk how telling his point totals really are.

Hertl's shooting at 21.5% and Zibanejad 15.2%.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

The way he's playing now, Zibanejad could absolutely beat a team by himself in the playoffs.

I think it's about even.

How are you quantifying this?

This is like Toews vs Kopitar from a few years ago. About as close as it can get.

Their PPGs are nearly identical in the playoffs.

Hertl's shooting at 21.5% and Zibanejad 15.2%.

Hertl was 22 years old when he was the primary forechecker on the Hertl-Thornton-Pavelski line that steamrolled everybody en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Then he was 24 years old when he completely dominated the Vegas Golden Knights in every single shift.

Throughout the Vegas series, at 5-on-5, Hertl individually had more high danger chances than the entire Vegas team did when he was on the ice. And this was while being hard matched against the Smith-Karlsson-Marchessault line, and flanked by Logan Couture and Mikkel Boedker.

Also, Zibanejad has 4 goals in 28 career playoff games. Hertl has 14 goals in 43 career playoff games.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

That's not even.

There's exactly one player in the left column who would crack the top 8 in scoring on the Sharks.

I agree Hertl has the better forward teammates but it’s not quite the gap that you may think it is. Their current lines are Kane-Hertl-Donskoi and Kreider-Zibanejad-Zuccarello. That winger support is pretty much dead even. Their forward support outside of those current linemates tilts things in Hertl’s favor, but...

It also helps Zibanejad because it allows him to play far more minutes. Zibanejad has played only 4 more games than Hertl, but he has played 125 more minutes at even strength. Hertl averages 14:15 ESTOI/GP, Zibanejad averages 15:28. Yet, Hertl scores 3.32 even strength points per 60 minutes (5th among centers) and Zibanejad scores 2.35 even strength points per 60 minutes. (35th among centers)

The area where Zibanejad makes up the gap in production is on the power play, but again, I think those weaker linemates might actually play into his favor there as well. Hertl is primarily the net front trigger man on a power play where he doesn’t touch the puck much if he isn’t shooting it. The results on the PP are clearly satisfactory - the Sharks PP is 5th in the NHL, Hertl is 5th on the team in PPTOI and tied for the team lead in PPG. Hell, Hertl is 11th in the whole NHL in PPG/60.

Zibanejad, meanwhile, is far more productive on the PP - scoring slightly more goals and way more points. Zibanejad’s actually one of the best PP producers in the NHL per 60. But Zibanejad has the benefit of the Rangers PP running through him, while Hertl does not. That doesn’t mean that Hertl could successfully run NYR’s PP like Zibanejad does - I don’t think he could - but it definitely helps Zibanejad that things are set up that way.

So, in summary, the teammates argument can go both ways.

 

[SlapshotTheMovie]

Hertl has a much better supporting cast as Zib has Krieder and thats it. Zuc is amazing but he is having a down year dispite being in a hot streak right now and has had multiple injuries this season keeping him off the ice. Either one no one in the sharks fan base would do a 1 for 1 trade for krieder with any of hertls real line mates and rightfully so.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Hertl has a much better supporting cast as Zib has Krieder and thats it. Zuc is amazing but he is having a down year dispite being in a hot streak right now and has had multiple injuries this season keeping him off the ice. Either one no one in the sharks fan base would do a 1 for 1 trade for krieder with any of hertls real line mates and rightfully so.

I think we would all comfortably do Donskoi for Kreider and I'd consider Kane for Kreider is well.

 

[Machinehead]

Kreider can control the weather, so if the Sharks acquired him, California would never have a drought again.

That has to be factored into any deal.

 

[BowDownToVasilevskiy]

Zibanejad

 

[Juxtaposer]

Hertl has a much better supporting cast as Zib has Krieder and thats it. Zuc is amazing but he is having a down year dispite being in a hot streak right now and has had multiple injuries this season keeping him off the ice. Either one no one in the sharks fan base would do a 1 for 1 trade for krieder with any of hertls real line mates and rightfully so.

Funny, when I said Zucc was having a down year (he is), I got lambasted to hell and back by Rangers fans. But when it suits your argument, you’re perfectly happy to admit it.

You can only have it one way: either Zucc is having a down year, or Zibanejad has much better linemates than Hertl.

I’d do Kane for Kreider or Donskoi for Kreider and go dancing in the rain with joy.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Funny, when I said Zucc was having a down year (he is), I got lambasted to hell and back by Rangers fans. But when it suits your argument, you’re perfectly happy to admit it.

You can only have it one way: either Zucc is having a down year, or Zibanejad has much better linemates than Hertl.

I’d do Kane for Kreider or Donskoi for Kreider and go dancing in the rain with joy.

A lot of people will cite his minutes spent with Couture and Meier and the fact that those guys are better players than Kreider/Zibanejad but that Couture-Hertl-Meier line wasn’t very beneficial to Hertl at all. Hertl was heavily out of place as the playmaker on a line that got heavy defensive deployment in front of a struggling Vlasic-Braun pairing. Hertl has been significantly better with Kane and Donskoi, even though they are worse players. Hertl would also probably do much better between Kreider and Zuccarello than he did with Couture/Meier.

That guy mistakenly thinks that Couture/Meier are Hertl’s “real linemates” because he has played more minutes with them than he has with Kane/Donskoi. That’s understandable but currently and going forward, his linemates are Kane/Donskoi. And I think Kane and Donskoi are pretty much dead even with Kreider and Zuccarello as a pair of wingers.