What Tomáš Hertl will bring to the Golden Knights — based on how he played against them

LAS VEGAS – The first time Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon spoke with Tomáš Hertl after acquiring him from San Jose ahead of last week’s trade deadline, he joked with the forward about battling on opposite sides of a rivalry.

He said to Hertl, “Tomas, if you play as good with us as you did against us, we’ll all be happy.”

Hertl spent the first 11 years of his career in San Jose. After being dealt to Vegas shortly before last week’s trade deadline, he’s not only having to adjust to a new NHL team and city for the first time, but he’s doing it with a team he once considered a hated rival.

Hertl’s first public event as a Golden Knight was the team’s charity gala on Sunday night, in which players donned aprons and poured drinks for the fans in attendance.

“A lot of fans were saying, ‘Three days ago I hated you and now I love you,’” Hertl said with a laugh. “It was a fun rivalry. I think everybody was enjoying it. Every game was like a playoff game.”

The rivalry was fueled by back-to-back playoff series in 2018 and 2019, and Hertl played a major role. At the height of the rivalry – during the first-round series in 2019 – Hertl scored twice to keep the Sharks alive in Game 5, then told fans inside the arena at SAP Center that they’d be back for a Game 7. He delivered on the prediction, scoring a short-handed goal in overtime of Game 6 in Las Vegas to extend the series.

Hertl has played 40 games against the Golden Knights in total. He has 16 goals and 13 assists, with two multi-goal games and one game-winner that Vegas fans will never forget. Once a thorn in Golden Knights’ side creating havoc and goals in front of the net, Hertl now joins them in their push toward the playoffs.

Coming off a knee surgery in mid-February he isn’t quite ready to hit the ice, but it shouldn’t be long.

“It’s feeling really good,” Hertl said of the knee. “I’m now four weeks (removed) from the procedure, and every day I’m getting stronger. I don’t know (when I’ll be back on the ice) yet because I just got here. Hopefully like around two weeks I will slowly get back on the ice.”

When he does enter the lineup, Hertl will add to the glut of talent Vegas already has at center, along with Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy. Hertl brings a very different style of play, though, which is one of the biggest reasons McCrimmon traded for him.

“It was true of (Ivan) Barbashev last year,” McCrimmon said. “Barbie was a little different than what we had, and so is Tomas Hertl. The size, the power, the net front presence. He’s elite in those areas. He really is, and I think that it complements what we have.”

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Hertl will fit right into the Golden Knights’ imposing lineup. On average, Vegas has the tallest (6-foot-2) and heaviest (209 pounds) roster in the NHL. That wasn’t lost on Hertl, even just meeting his teammates for the first time.

“I was so used to being the tallest guy, and now I come here and everybody is the same height or even taller,” he said. “In the playoffs, when it matters, that’s a big thing. When you have good skill and powerful, big guys, I think in the playoffs it really matters.”

Hertl does a lot of things well, but his strength around the net is probably the biggest asset he brings to the Golden Knights. McCrimmon said he ran into retired Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland during lunch just after completing the trade for Hertl, and Engelland’s reaction was “You can’t move the guy.”

In this short clip from last season, you can see Hertl’s strength and use of leverage to quickly shove Vegas defenseman Ben Hutton out of the way to establish prime position in front of the crease.

Over the last three seasons, Hertl has 235 shots and 44 goals from the high-danger area within 29 feet of the net. Both figures rank in the top 10 percent of NHL players. He has no problem going to the toughest areas of the ice, and possesses the skill to score once he’s there.

Hertl’s 94 assists over the last three seasons also led all Sharks forwards. He sees the ice well and has the touch to thread passes through defenders, like on this gorgeous setup to Mike Hoffman.

Vegas will have more centers than it needs with the addition of Hertl, which means one will be moving to the wing. It’s unlikely Hertl will be sliding over, though. Among his other strengths as a center, he’s been excellent in the faceoff circle throughout his career.

Since he became a full-time center in 2015, Hertl has finished with a faceoff percentage above 50 percent in all nine seasons. His 53.5 percent rate during that span ranks 14th amongst centers with at least 8,000 faceoffs, just ahead of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby (53.3).

Hertl was even better at the dot against Vegas, winning 55 percent of his draws against the Golden Knights. His 486 faceoff wins against the franchise are the second-most all time.

One of the happiest people about the addition has to be Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy, who places a lot of emphasis on faceoffs and two-way play – both of which are strengths for Hertl.

“He’s a great add for us,” Cassidy said. “He’s a real good puck possession guy and a good two-way player. The more guys you can build through the middle of the ice, I think the better.

“I’ve had numerous people in the league reach out to me about how high character of a guy he is, so I think that will be great for our locker room as well.”

Hertl’s on-ice metrics have taken a hit lately as the Sharks have struggled mightily as a team, but in relation to his San Jose teammates, Hertl’s defensive and possession metrics are still strong. His 46.28 percent shot share ranks first on the team.

With Hertl on the ice this season, the Sharks’ expected goal share is 6.8 percent higher than it is without him. That figure ranks 27th in the league out of 388 players with at least 700 minutes of ice time.

Hertl defends well, but that’s not the biggest reason his on-ice numbers are typically strong. He’s strong with possession, using his body well to shield defenders from the puck to extend plays and generate offense. That leads to lengthy shifts in the offensive zone. He also has active feet in his own end, constantly skating to support his defensemen and give them easy passing options to break out of the zone, which leads to less time spent defending.

Here’s a play from March 30, 2023, in which Hertl showed off all three traits. First, he checked Roy off the puck with a strong play behind the net. Then, he gathered the loose puck and startsedthe rush the other way. Finally, he took the drop pass from Radim Šimek and used his body to shield the puck from Keegan Kolesar.

Hertl created a chance in front with a shot on goal, and drew a holding call on Kolesar on the play.

There are long-term risks for the Golden Knights with this trade. Hertl is 30 years old, coming off knee surgery and still has six years left on his contract after this season. It means there will be other departures this offseason due to cap restraints.

In the short term, though, there’s no doubt it’s an excellent addition for the Golden Knights. Hertl does a lot of what Vegas needs, and adds yet another stout, well-rounded center to an already deep forward group.

He’s highly motivated to contribute to a playoff run after missing the postseason for four consecutive years in San Jose. He played some of his best hockey for the Sharks in the biggest moments. Perhaps he has more late-game heroics. Only this time it will be for the Golden Knights, not against them.

(Photo of Tomáš Hertl: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)