Sharks’ Hertl questionable to play vs. Kraken; what about the all-star game?
Center Tomas Hertl missed Monday's practice as the San Jose Sharks prepared for Tuesday's game with the Seattle Kraken
SAN JOSE – Tomas Hertl has a lower-body injury and is questionable to play Tuesday when the San Jose Sharks host the Seattle Kraken in their next-to-last game before the NHL All-Star break.
Hertl sat out Monday’s practice and is considered day-to-day, Sharks coach David Quinn said. The Sharks also play Wednesday in Anaheim before they begin a break that doesn’t see them in another game until Feb. 14 in Winnipeg.
Hertl, though, said he should be good to go for this weekend’s NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. The event begins with a player draft on Thursday, the skills competition on Friday — which Hertl is not competing in — and the four-team, 3-on-3 tournament on Saturday.
Hertl was named the Sharks’ representative for the event earlier this month.
“I’m pretty confident I’m going,” Hertl said of the all-star game. “For sure, it would be tough to miss it, because it’s something special, and I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully whatever is happening today, but I’m confident I will for sure (go).”
Hertl wouldn’t confirm if he hurt midway through the second period of Saturday’s game at SAP Center against Buffalo. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound centerman came across the offensive blue line with the puck before he was hip-checked by Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju.
Hertl remained in the game momentarily, skating for two more shifts in the second period before he left the team’s bench, missing the final 8:57. Hertl returned for the third period, took a regular shift, and finished with 16:50 of ice time in what became a 5-2 loss to the Sabres.
Hertl leads San Jose with 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games, and is averaging 20:54 in ice time per game to lead all forwards.
“Can’t really know (if it was the Jokiharju hit). The last couple of games (there was) a couple of things,” Hertl said. “A lot of things happen and maybe that might do something, but I don’t really know. I’ve played a lot of hockey and a lot of things happen.”
This would be Hertl’s second career appearance in the all-star game, with the first coming in 2020 when the event was held in St. Louis. Hertl was a replacement for Logan Couture, who was chosen for the event before he suffered a broken left ankle just weeks before the festivities were held.
If Hertl is out Tuesday, William Eklund could play center against the Kraken. Eklund was drafted as a centerman by the Sharks in 2021 but has almost exclusively played on the wing in his 65 previous NHL games.
In Monday’s practice, Eklund skated on the second line with wingers Anthony Duclair and Alexander Barabanov. Eklund is one of three Sharks players who have eight goals this season and both he and Fabian Zetterlund are tied for third on the team with 21 points each.
Mikael Granlund, second on the Sharks with 29 points in 38 games, isn’t expected back from his upper body injury until after the break. Granlund was hurt by a shoulder-to-shoulder check on Jan. 16 in Chicago.
Eklund has taken 39 faceoffs this season, winning just 13. Asked what the keys are for Eklund, listed at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds, to be a successful top-six center in the NHL, Quinn said, “really just kind of build off the things he’s been doing all year long and just be consistent at it.
“He’s been pretty good defensively and he’ll probably have the puck a little bit more as a centerman. We were working on some faceoffs today with him. So we’ll see.”
THRUN UPDATE: Defenseman Henry Thrun, injured in the third period of last Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers, is expected to be ready to play once the break ends, Quinn said.
Thrun has an upper-body injury and was placed on IR on Saturday to make room on the team’s 23-man roster for Ty Emberson, who was activated after he missed two weeks with an upper-body ailment.
QUINN AILING: Quinn said Monday that he’ll have hip replacement surgery over the break. He said he was initially going to have the procedure done after the season, but added that the hip pain he’s had for a while has become too uncomfortable.
“It’s just being 57 and running all these years and playing hockey and all that fun stuff,” said Quinn adding that he expects to be back on the ice when the Sharks resume practice on Feb. 10.