Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng
Even Tomáš Hertl’s mom didn’t know, in advance, that he was getting traded.
That’s how top-secret the Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights were able to keep perhaps the surprise trade of the NHL trade deadline.
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But now the cat’s out of the bag, Hertl’s mega-watt smile is also back.
It’s been a tough five years in San Jose for Hertl, since the last time the Sharks made the playoffs in 2019. While addressing the Las Vegas media on Monday, Hertl explained why he was willing to waive his full no-movement clause and join a Golden Knights team that had long been his fiercest rival.
"After the season, you’re out [of the playoffs]," Hertl said on Monday. "It gets every year like harder and harder, especially this year.”
The Sharks have gone from the 2019 NHL Western Conference Finals to one of the worst teams of the salary cap era this season.
