SAN JOSE – Former San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl was a bit curious about what kind of reception he would get Friday night in his return to SAP Center.
While Hertl became one of the Sharks’ most popular and productive players in his 11 seasons in a teal uniform, he was also returning – for the first time — as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose’s once-fierce rival.
“I think the rivalry kind of slipped away, but it will hopefully be good. I think it was a nice 11 years,” Hertl said Friday morning when asked about the reception he might get. “But it’s maybe up to the fans now. (There’s) nothing I can do about it really right now.”
The reception was expected to be positive, considering Hertl had 484 points in 712 regular-season games for the Sharks before he was traded to the Golden Knights in March. Team officials plan to recognize Hertl for his time in San Jose with a pregame tribute similar to the ones they bestowed upon longtime Sharks Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns in their first games back in San Jose.
But while Hertl’s time with the Sharks will not be forgotten, his departure from San Jose has perhaps created a complicated legacy.
Hertl could have opted to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Instead, he signed an eight-year, $65.1 contract extension with the Sharks, hoping the team’s fortunes could quickly turn around after what would become — at that point — three years without a playoff appearance.
The Sharks, too, did not entertain any trade offers for Hertl that year, hoping he could be an organizational tent pole as they remained in a transitional phase.
However, the Sharks hired Mike Grier as their new general manager less than four months after the deal. Grier knew that for the Sharks to become Stanley Cup contenders again, he would have to rebuild the team from the ground up.
That meant taking some steps back to have the opportunity to draft future stars with lottery picks. Grier also traded some high-profile players on long-term contracts, such as Burns, Timo Meier, and Erik Karlsson, to gain prospects, draft capital, and free up valuable cap space.
Speaking about Hertl and captain Logan Couture as the 2023 training camp began, Grier said, “If there ever were to come a time when they felt like they needed or wanted to go somewhere else, it’s definitely something I would listen to, and if it made sense for us, I would explore it.”
Some of Tomas Hertl pic.twitter.com/rVUtnj0vxY
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) December 27, 2024
While Couture, injured and out indefinitely, remains a Shark, Hertl, a playoff participant in five of his first six NHL seasons, knew at that time it could be years before he could legitimately compete for a Cup again. He had a decision to make.
Ultimately, Hertl, with a full no-movement clause in the first three years of his contract, decided it was best to move on and join a contender. Going into Friday, the Golden Knights led the Pacific Division and the Sharks were in eighth and last place.
“I couldn’t say one bad word about the organization, about the teammates in the locker room right away, how they (included) me in the team, even the fans around the city,” Hertl said. “Obviously, when you win a lot of hockey games, everything gets pretty easy around it. I almost forgot over the last couple years, honestly, how fun is to win a lot of games.
“The last couple of years (in San Jose) was pretty tough. When you’re one of the leaders and you try to help, but the winning wasn’t coming, it wasn’t easy. So this is definitely the fun part.”
It turns out Grier and Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon began talking about a Hertl deal before the all-star break, and on March 7, just minutes before the deadline, the Sharks sent the No. 1 centerman, plus third-round picks in 2025 and 2027, to Vegas for center prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick.
“I just heard, like, maybe in January, before I was hurt, that (Vegas) was thinking about (trading for me) from my agent, but nothing happened,” said Hertl, who injured his knee earlier in a Jan. 27 game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Hertl participated in the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, and trade talks between the Sharks and Golden Knights began to ramp up again a few days before the deadline.
Hertl then had to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen.
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“I’m a competitive guy,” Hertl said Friday. “The Sharks give me everything and they give me a great career, they’ve been always great to me. (When) the offer came, I just couldn’t say no, because I think I’m still in my prime, I can help teams win hockey games, and Vegas, they are in a great spot, a great team, and I couldn’t say no.
“Nobody can obviously guarantee you can win the Stanley Cup, but I thought there’s a chance (with Vegas), and I just want to grab it and try to fight for it.”
Hertl has several friends within the Sharks’ organization and still cheers for the team.
“After our games, I will be always cheering for them because I was here so long here and I want to see them do obviously better and turn this team around,” Hertl said. “But at that time I felt it could be my last chance and I was happy both sides could figure it out and work it out, and I could move.”
