Will Tomáš Hertl help guide the rebuilding Sharks? Is a trade possible? ‘This is like my home’
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to note Tomas Hertl’s injury status on Monday.)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tomáš Hertl is 30 now, a family man in his 11th season with the San Jose Sharks, but he still has the smile that made fans instantly connect with the then-rookie first-round pick out of Czechia.
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Perhaps no season has been as difficult for Hertl as this one. Serious knee injuries have tested his resolve in the past, but his health this season, so far, had been fine until the Sharks announced Monday that Hertl would be sidelined with an injury. The Sharks’ play is what is making this one a different battle.
Hertl had a team-high 16 points going into the Sharks game Monday night against Washington, but the Sharks took a 4-15-2 record into that game, for an NHL-worst 10 points. Hertl has found ways to stay positive even as the losses have mounted, cherished teammates have left and questions have been raised externally about the chance (perhaps small) that he might be traded.
But the smile that won over Sharks fans immediately after Hertl’s breathtaking start to his NHL career hasn’t disappeared, even as the Sharks have lost more than ever during his time here.
“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who doesn’t like Tommy Hertl in any aspect of life,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “There are people that are likable no matter who meets them. He just has that personality.”
Hertl has come a long way. He’s now one of the faces of the Sharks and has put down roots in San Jose, as evidenced by the eight-year, $65.1 million extension he signed in March 2022. With Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, he is one of the few remaining from their era of annual playoff appearances.
That long road for Hertl includes the tectonic shift toward a major rebuild under general manager Mike Grier, one that many would say was long overdue. When Hertl came into the league, the Sharks had entrenched top players such as Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns.
Of course, now it is much different. Marleau and Thornton are now watching the Sharks as they enjoy retirement, while Pavelski and Burns continue to impact Dallas and Carolina, respectively, even at their advanced ages.
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Whether through desire or mere attrition, Hertl has become one of the elder statesmen. He is to William Eklund as Marleau and Thornton were to him. He fully welcomes that role. But watching franchise figures leave the locker room still leaves an impact.
“Of course, it’s tough,” Hertl said. “They’re not just players you play with but it’s your friends. Guys that helped me throughout my career. … You look in the locker room and from when I started, there’s just Vlasic and (Couture). It’s tough to see them go sometimes.
“You see how quick the time has gone. … All these years, all the players I played with, they don’t play (anymore) or maybe it’s their last couple of years. It’s tough but I really appreciated it at the same time playing with them.”
The irony now is that with the rebuild on, Hertl might be the Sharks’ best trade asset. Couture has also played his entire career in San Jose but he’s yet to play one minute this season due to a nagging lower-body injury. There are a few impending unrestricted free agents that Grier could part with, but none have particularly distinguished themselves on the ice.
Meanwhile, Hertl has heated up of late. Before the injury, the center was coming off consecutive two-assist efforts against Montreal and Vancouver. On Saturday, he set up Ty Emberson for his first NHL goal and gave Fabian Zetterlund a perfect feed for the forward to rip a successful one-timer past Vancouver goalie Casey DeSmith. Eleven of Hertl’s 16 points have come in his last 11 games, including three of his four goals.
Of note, though, is that Hertl has a full no-move clause that runs through next season, before it switches. Then, for three years, he can pick three teams he would approve a trade to. In the final two years, the list he submits expands to 15 clubs.
It means Hertl doesn’t figure to go the way of Burns, Timo Meier or Erik Karlsson — notable players traded by the Sharks — unless he’s determined to win again right now and there is a team that can fit a large part (or all) of his $8.1 million cap hit. A few weeks ago, Grier said he wasn’t getting calls about his availability and that Hertl has embraced being a leader through their tough times.
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“He’s someone who is passionate,” Grier said. “Loves the group of guys down there. Loves the Sharks. Wants this to go well. He’s kind of been one of the few leaders down there with Logan out. And I think he’s feeling a lot of the weight of this not going well on him. Not for anybody.
“For the team not doing well, I think it’s hard on him. We need to support him. I need to support him. The team needs to support him. … When I’ve met with him, he’s on board and he wants to get this thing turned around and figured out.”
The young player who once needed help to verbally express his thoughts has become one of their leading voices. Hertl is one the Sharks look to for guidance.
“I’ve kind of always seen Tommy talk quite a bit, to be honest,” Mario Ferraro said. “He’s a big part of this team both on and off the ice. Obviously, his play on the ice is very important for our group. And then off the ice, his personality. His positive energy. He’s always laughing, always smiling. He makes guys around him happy. He deserves a voice in the room, and he has his voice in the room and it makes an impact for our guys.
“We need him more and more to speak up. Guys look up to Herts because he backs it up with his play and he backs it up with being a good person. When he speaks, we listen. I’ve noticed it a little bit more at the start of this year.”
That smile may never be far from his face, but Hertl isn’t happy with losing, even in this brutally realistic stage for the franchise.
“I’m a competitive guy,” he said, breaking into his usual grin. “I want to win games and when you’re not winning games, it’s not easy. I probably never experienced losses like that. Back-to-back 10 goals (against), which was super hard. Before every game, you try to be positive. You want to bring some energy. You want to do something.
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“I’m one of the leaders, and if the team saw you frustrated, you’re sad or you’re not in the mood, it’s not a good look. Everybody tries to look at you, so you have to be one of the guys that brings energy.”
The thought of being a rare one-team player for his entire career does fascinate Hertl. The extension he agreed to is a pathway toward that. But situations, for better or worse, can change over time. Hertl didn’t want to go so far as to envision ending his career in San Jose. But he also doesn’t envision leaving soon.
“A lot of pieces have changed,” he said. “But this is like my home. My family is from here now, with my wife. Everything started here. Even in these tough times here, I’m still coming into (this dressing room). Even after this tough start, I still have a feeling that things will turn around. Maybe not this year, maybe not next year. But it changes quick. You get a couple players. Guys settle in and things can change really fast in the league.
“You can see teams in the Stanley Cup Final and the next year they can miss the playoffs. Same for us. You miss the playoffs, but you can get confidence (and) things can change. I just have faith. Even though it’s tough in our situation, right now it’s still early in the season and I want to be a better player. I want to be a better leader. Help the young guys to grow up in this game.
“Just finish the season strong. I don’t try to look that far ahead.”
It is amazing to think that a decade has passed since Hertl scored twice in his second NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes — yes, Phoenix! — and then followed that up in his very next game with the magnetic four-goal effort against the New York Rangers capped by his between-the-legs score against Martin Biron.
It is an iconic moment in Hertl’s career, and it made him the fan favorite he remains — along with his sunny disposition.
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“It’s infectious,” Quinn said. “Especially when it’s a player of that caliber. When you got a guy with that type of talent and he has that upbeat personality and has a smile on his face every day, plays with the passion and enthusiasm he does — he cares about his teammates and everybody in this building the way he does — it’s contagious. And that’s what leaders do.
“He’s done a really good job taking a step forward as a leader this year. We’re lucky to have him.”
This season reminds Hertl how tough it is to win in the NHL. But he sounds like someone who wants to stick it out until the Sharks win again.
“First couple of years, you get here (and) you’re winning in the regular season,” he said. “If you lose a game, you know you’re winning the next one. And it seems like it’s not that hard to get in the playoffs. You’ve been part of the team where from day one the expectation was the highest you can possibly think. It was like the playoffs was for sure and hopefully you get the farthest you can.
“Now when you’re going through this tough time where it’s kind of a rebuild, you appreciate it (more) and you know how hard it is to get there. You want to work even harder now because you want to get the team back. You want to get yourself in the spot where you’re fighting for the playoff runs because (there’s) nothing more fun (than) to be in the playoffs.”
(Top photo of Tomáš Hertl: Kavin Mistry / NHLI via Getty Images)
