SAN JOSE – Tomas Hertl thought there was at least a chance he would get shipped by the San Jose Sharks to a playoff-contending team in the weeks leading up to the NHL trade deadline in 2022.
Instead, just five days before the March 21 deadline, Hertl and the Sharks came to terms on an eight-year, $65.1 million contract extension that made him the team’s highest-paid forward.
At the time, then-interim general manager Joe Will said the Sharks were committed to re-signing Hertl, a top-line center, instead of shopping him to other teams. Hertl, for his part, said that in his heart, he always wanted to remain in San Jose.
Now the Sharks are in a full rebuild under second-year GM Mike Grier and well on their way to missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. That’s led to questions about when the Sharks might be competitive again, and whether Hertl still fits into the team’s long-term plans.
Hertl, the Sharks’ all-star game representative this year, is eager to hear those answers, too.
“It’s not an easy situation, where we are. We know that,” Hertl said Monday. “We will see. It’s probably not (time to) talk now, but definitely, after the season, again, what (are) the plans here long-term.
“You want to help (and play) your best. I’m here. It’s kind of my home, but at the same time, you want to help the team and wherever (Grier) thinks is the best. Maybe he says the best (is to) trade me now and get something. I don’t know but I’m just focusing to be best when I’m on the ice right now.”
The Sharks under Grier have already traded franchise cornerstones like Brent Burns, Timo Meier, and Erik Karlsson, freeing up millions in cap space while also acquiring several prospects and some much-needed draft capital. Burns and Karlsson both wanted to go to teams in a win-now mode, and Grier decided to trade Meier rather than sign him to an expensive, long-term deal.
The result, though, is that the Sharks entered this week next-to-last in the NHL’s overall standings with a 13-32-4 record.
Hertl wants to win sooner rather than later and has six years to go after this season on a contract that carries an average annual value of $8.1375 million, a full no-move clause throughout, and a limited no-trade clause for the final five years.
But from all indications, Grier is in no hurry to deal the Czech-born centerman, who leads the Sharks with 34 points in 48 games.
Grier has lauded Hertl, saying last week at an event for Sharks season ticket holders how much he appreciated the 30-year-old’s leadership during a difficult season. From a team standpoint, it also makes sense to have leaders like Hertl and Logan Couture around to help set the standard for the numerous young players who will soon be coming into the organization.
“He’s kind of stepped up without (Couture) being there for most of the year,” Grier said. “He’s been a big part of that (leadership) group.”
Still, asked about Hertl and Couture before the season 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.”
Grier said at the event that he hopes the Sharks, with some luck, can begin to emerge from their rebuild within the next two or three years. Still, Hertl said he’ll probably have a bigger conversation with Grier in the offseason to learn more about the direction of the franchise.
“We talk throughout the year, but it’s never really about the team just about (other) stuff on a regular basis,” Hertl said. “But definitely just see what he thinks and what his kind of plan (is), because you never know. It doesn’t matter if I play now, maybe they want to be switching me up too, you know?
“But I don’t really focus on that now because even (with) how hard (the) season is, I want to just be the best player on the ice especially. There’s so many young guys on the team and we want to help them out be better and better players.”
Hertl came to the NHL in 2013 and the Sharks made the playoffs in five of his first six seasons. He, like everyone else on the roster, longs to play in that environment again.
“You want to win hockey games,” Hertl said. “You want to win. That’s everybody’s goal. You want to compete. … But we’re definitely (in a) tough situation and you want to get back on track and at least fight for the playoffs.
“When you make it to playoffs, anything can happen, doesn’t matter how many points (you have). You have to just make the playoff and, and whatever can happen from that. So, definitely, I want to get back.”