REPORT: Friedman Says Sharks Trying Hard to Keep Hertl

The San Jose Sharks’ chances to make the playoffs are pretty much kaput, but it sounds like they’re still in the hunt to keep Tomas Hertl.

Last week, the impending UFA intimated that contract talks were ongoing between his camp and the Sharks. When pushed, he characterized those talks as “positive.”

Hertl Says Contract Talks With Sharks Are “Positive”

Elliotte Friedman followed up on that this morning on his “32 Thoughts Podcast” with Jeff Marek, saying that the San Jose Sharks weren’t paying their fans lip service when they stated their desire to keep the popular centerman.

“They’re making a run at it. I don’t know how I would handicap it,” Friedman said of the organization’s efforts to re-sign Hertl. “But they are definitely trying to get that done. Their efforts, from what I hear, are very legitimate.”

To that point, Tomas Hertl hasn’t even been put on the trade block yet. The Mar. 21 Trade Deadline is just two weeks away.

“They want to resign him obviously and are trying to do so,” a source told San Jose Hockey Now. “Have not heard anything else.”

“I had a couple teams tell me that they don’t see Hertl being available,” Friedman noted.

So does that mean color Tomas Hertl in teal for the next half-decade or so?

“I don’t know that I’d go that far,” Friedman said.

My source agreed: After all, what if the first-line center rejects the San Jose Sharks’ contract offers before the Trade Deadline? Wouldn’t the Sharks have to begin to entertain trade offers?

“Would think so, yeah,” he conceded.

This coming week could prove pivotal then: If Hertl decides that he wants to chase the Stanley Cup elsewhere, the Sharks need some time to consider their next step.