Mixed feelings on this one. Several people have reported Tomas Hertl has been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Sharks’ fans will need to get used to seeing Hertl wearing the worst jersey in the NHL for the foreseeable future.
San Jose receives a 2025 first-round pick and Vegas’ 2023 first-round pick (David Edstrom). According to Darren Dreger, the Sharks have retained 17% of Hertl’s salary and will send the team’s 2025 third-round pick and 2027 third-round pick to Vegas.
To be clear. Hertl and two 3rds to Vegas. https://t.co/tNzFqzqxOy
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 8, 2024
Health of Tomas Hertl
Earlier this week, it was reported that Hertl might be ready to return to the ice before the end of the season. That must have greased the wheels for a trade of this magnitude. Hertl underwent knee surgery in the middle of February and rehab appears to be going well.
If he’s on track, he will be ready to join the Golden Knights…stop me if you’ve heard this one before…in time for the playoffs.
Hertl played 712 games with the Sharks. He has 484 career points (218 G, 266 A).
What we know about David Edstrom
It’s clear that General Manager Mike Grier likes his Swedes. Not only has he drafted Filip Bystedt and Mattias Havelid, but he gets another Swedish center in Edstrom. Here’s what scouts are saying about the 6-foot-3, 190-pound center.
Dobber Prospects says: “Despite some tool limitations, Edstrom has some upside as a powerful bottom-six center with good passing ability and physicality.”
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler: “His stride is a little stilted and he’s not a great skater (I think it was overrated in his draft year and he has talked to me about the need to work on it), but he’s good in a very effective kind of way. He can also play with power or play with skill, which blends to allow him to take pucks off the wall to the inside and then execute in congested areas in ways you wouldn’t necessarily expect out of a 6-foot-3 player. He’ll make a soft-area play one second, a play in tight to his body the next, and then drive out of those plays the next. At an early age, it’s also clear he has a really mature understanding of how to use his size to his advantage. He looks to dictate with his length and knows how to position himself against defenders. He’s decent on entries and will hold pucks but can also play off of his linemates. It’s not flashy but Edstrom projects as a solid third-line centre who can potentially contribute on both special teams.”
Edstrom was the top player on Wheeler’s prospect list for Vegas.
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