SAN JOSE – Tomas Hertl will miss tonight’s game with the Seattle Kraken with a lower-body injury, raising questions as to whether he’ll be available can play Wednesday in Anaheim or even take part in the NHL All-Star Game’s festivities this weekend in Toronto.
Sharks coach David Quinn said Tuesday morning that Hertl was undergoing treatment and that it was to be determined whether the centermen would able to play against the Ducks on Wednesday in San Jose’s last game before the NHL All-Star break.
“We’ll see how feels after treatment today and all that fun stuff that injured players have to deal with,” Quinn said.
Hertl earlier this month was selected to be San Jose’s representative for NHL All-Star weekend, which begins Thursday with a player draft and concludes Saturday with a four-team. 3-on-3 tournament.
“It would be a great opportunity for him and I know he was excited to go,” Quinn said of Hertl’s participation, “so hopefully he’s able to do that.”
In the actual 3-on-3 tournament, players can be competitive but the level of intensity is far less than a regular season 3-on-3 overtime. In 2019 when the All-Star Game was in San Jose, then-Sharks all-star Erik Karlsson was injured but still took part as a member of the Pacific Division team.
“I’m pretty confident I’m going,” Hertl said Monday. “For sure, it would be tough to miss it, because it’s something special, and I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully whatever is happening today, but I’m confident I will for sure (go).”
Hertl appeared to be hurt midway through the second period of Saturday’s game against Buffalo. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound centerman came across the offensive blue line with the puck before he was hip-checked by Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
Hertl remained in the game momentarily, skating for two more shifts in the second period before he left the team’s bench, missing the final 8:57. Hertl returned for the third period, took a regular shift, and finished with 16:50 of ice time in what became a 5-2 loss to the Sabres.
Hertl leads San Jose with 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games and is averaging 20:54 in ice time per game to lead all forwards.
With Hertl out Tuesday, William Eklund will play center against the Kraken. Eklund was drafted as a centerman by the Sharks in 2021 but has exclusively played on the wing in his 65 previous NHL games.
It appears Eklund, who has eight goals and 21 points this season, will be on a line with wingers Anthony Duclair and Alexander Barabanov.
“Just play with some confidence,” Quinn said regarding what he wants to see from Eklund, “and don’t let the position switch get in the way of playing with the right intentions.
“He’s excited for the opportunity. When he has the puck, he’s at his best.”
The last time Eklund played center was two years ago when he was with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League, as he didn’t play in the middle much during his 54 games with the Barracuda last season.
For now, Eklund could model his game after teammate Mikael Granlund, as the two have similar body sizes. Eklund is listed at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds, one inch taller and a couple of pounds lighter than Granlund.
“I like his smarts out there,” Eklund said of Granlund. “He’s a smart player. He does things before everybody has to think about it, so that’s why I like him.”
Does Eklund project to be a center with the Sharks two or three years down the road? Maybe. Hertl and Logan Couture are but under contract through the 2026-27 season, and the Sharks think highly of recent draft picks Will Smith and Filip Bystedt, who both play center.
“I think a lot of that depends on where we’re at as an organization,” Quinn said. “I think we have the flexibility with him to play him on the wing or in the middle right now, and this will give us a little bit more of an evaluation on what he would look like as a center.”
San Jose is also hoping to get lucky in this spring’s NHL draft lottery. If they win it, they’ll likely draft center Macklin Celebrini, thought to be a player who could step into the NHL next season.
“It’s so hard to say. I haven’t played center in a while,” Eklund said. “But I feel confident at center.”