In today’s NHL rumor rundown, we have a look at why Tomas Hertl requested a trade away from the San Jose Sharks ahead of joining the Vegas Golden Knights. Elsewhere, with the absence of Aleksander Barkov, the Florida Panthers could look to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a top center. Finally, Alex Tuch is eligible for an extension, though if things don’t go the way the Buffalo Sabres want them to, they may not be able to re-sign him.
Hertl’s Injury History Led to Trade Request
At the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, not many people were looking at the name Tomas Hertl as being a trade candidate, but in the dying minutes before the deadline, it was reported that Vegas was bringing him in from the Sharks.
At that point, Hertl had missed significant time with another knee injury, which continued to keep him out of the lineup with the Golden Knights. While it was a deal that made sense for both sides, there wasn’t very much information about the behind-the-scenes actions of the deal.
Sharks owner Hasso Plattner spoke to some beat writers, and thanks to Sheng Peng‘s great transcribing, lots of the information was shared across the internet.
Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
One of the topics was surrounding trades. Plattner spoke about multiple deals and decisions, including regret surrounding the Erik Karlsson trade from Ottawa and allowing Joe Pavelski to walk to free agency. One of the biggest nuggets to come from it, though, is that Hertl had requested a deal away from the rebuilding Sharks.
After dealing with three major lower-body injuries, Hertl reportedly told the Sharks management that he needs to be traded before another injury so that he has a chance to win a Stanley Cup before he is done. While Hertl is only 31 and has a very bright rest of his career ahead of him, when playing a game like hockey, one thing can happen, and that career can be over.
Hertl is clearly aware that his injury history makes him a strong candidate for another one down the road, and oftentimes, repeated injuries to the same knee can get worse over time.
Malkin Could Be the 1C the Panthers Need
There have been some talks about what the Panthers are going to do about their top center job with Barkov out. Elliotte Friedman noted on the last 32 Thoughts episode that while there are rumors about the Panthers and Malkin being a strong match, the Panthers did not deem Barkov to be out for the season, as the Golden Knights did with Alex Pietrangelo.
There is still a chance that Barkov could return for the Panthers this season, meaning the cap situation would be tricky, but Friedman also notes that if Malkin and the Panthers are going to come together, it is going to be Malkin’s decision.
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The Panthers have Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell taking the top two lines, and while they are both very capable centers, bringing in Malkin would help that group a lot.
Malkin is off to a blazing-hot start with the Penguins, scoring 5 primary points in his first six periods of the season. There have been talks about Malkin’s future in the past. While it was reported that the Penguins wouldn’t be giving Malkin another contract, Malkin hasn’t announced his future plans. He has stated that he wants to be a Penguin for life, but has also said he understands situations like seeing Brad Marchand traded, and that could be incentivizing.
Oilers Linked to Tuch In Trade Talks
The Edmonton Oilers are in crunch time when it comes to winning a Stanley Cup. They have three more seasons with Connor McDavid under contract, and are going to look to do everything they can to bring in as much talent as they can.
According to Jeff Marek, who spoke on one of Sekeres and Price’s recent episodes, the Oilers have had interest in Tuch from the Sabres, stating, “there’s a lot of talk about Tuch around the Oilers.”.
This came up during a segment where they were talking about the future of players like Tuch, who, if unsigned around American Thanksgiving, could be dealt.
The Sabres have been stuck on the outside of the playoffs, looking in, and should the season start that way again, Marek suggests that some players may request trades or look to get out of Buffalo. There is a ton of young talent, but as the beginning of another season rolls around, injuries to Josh Norris, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen, Owen Power, Zach Benson, and more players have really hindered them.
If the Oilers were to look at trading for Tuch, it would likely not just be as a rental, and they would likely have an agreement in place. For trade assets, the Sabres would be eyeing Matt Savoie or Isaac Howard as centerpieces of the return, which could result in some hesitation from the Oilers.
