Shocking Tomas Hertl trade by Sharks draws 1-emoji reaction from Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Hertl has been a mainstay for the Sharks since the 2013-14 season. Teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been with the Sharks even longer as he joined the team in 2006-07. Vlasic was sad to see his teammate leave and dropped a crying face emoji on X (Twitter).

The Sharks were one of the dominant teams in the Western Conference for several years, but they have struggled quite a bit since the start of the 2019-20 season. They have not been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2019 when they lost in the conference finals.

Hertl has been a solid producer for the Sharks since his debut. He has scored 15 goals and 19 assists to this point in the season, and Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy could use a productive forward like Hertl. The Golden Knights have fallen into a deep funk as they have a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games. They have fallen into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Tomas Hertl checks in at 6-3 and 215 pounds, and the 30-year-old has proven quite adept at using his size in the offensive zone over the years. Not only can he go into the corners and win the puck battle, he is quite difficult for opposing defensemen to move once he parks himself in front of the net.