The blockbuster Vegas Golden Knights trade happened just before the 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline. With only a few minutes to spare, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon acquired talented forward Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks.
The Golden Knights acquired the top defenseman on the market when McCrimmon moved his chips into the middle of the table for Noah Hanifin on Wednesday, meaning the Golden Knight’s trade deadline included the acquisitions of Anthony Mantha, who has 20 goals this season, Hanifin, and now Hertl, who is in the second year of an eight-year, $65.1 million contract with an $8.137 million salary cap hit.
The Sharks are retaining 17% of Hertl’s salary, meaning the Golden Knights are on the hook for only $6.75 million per season. Like others on the Golden Knights roster, Hertl is on LTIR but is expected back before the playoffs.
Hertl, 30, had knee surgery in early February. He elected to have the procedure earlier in the season so that he could return for the end, and now that end will be with the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights trade cost was top prospect David Edstrom (their 2023 first-round pick), a first-round pick in 2025, and third-round picks in 2025 and 2027.
After the deal, the Golden Knights will have only their 2024 first-rounder and a few late-round picks over the next three years.
Hertl has 34 points in 48 games with the woeful Sharks. Over his 11-year career, Hertl 218 goals and 484 points. He set a career-high with 30 goals in 82 games during the 2021-22 NHL season. He set a career-high with 74 points in the 2018-19 season.
The shifty 6-foot-3, 215-pound center also plays the wing, giving coach Bruce Cassidy significant lineup flexibility.
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