San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has acquired a 2025 first-round draft selection and prospect center David Edstrom from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Tomas Hertl and San Jose’s third-round draft selections in the 2025 and 2027 NHL drafts. San Jose will also retain approximately 17% of Hertl’s salary.
Edstrom, 19, was selected by Vegas in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He is currently playing with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he has collected 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 42 games. He was also selected to play for Sweden at the World Junior Championships, picking up three assists in seven games. Edstrom previously represented Sweden at the 2023 U18 hockey championships, posting eight points (five goals, three assists) in eight games.
“It’s an extremely hard day when you have to trade a player like Tomas Hertl,” said Grier. “It’s rare to find the combination he brings in talent as a player on the ice and quality as a person off the ice. While difficult, this trade brings us two high-quality assets which includes an additional future first round draft selection and a promising young center in Edstrom, as well as significant financial flexibility as we continue to re-shape our roster. While we continue the process of rebuilding our team on the ice to the standard our fans deserve, Tomas deserves the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. Tomas will be missed but his time and contributions to the Sharks franchise, and our fans, will never be forgotten. We wish him his wife, Aneta, and his two children the very best in this next chapter of their journey.
Hertl appeared in 48 games this season, recording 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) and led the team in nearly all offensive categories before the All-Star break.
A two-time All-Star with the Sharks (2020, 2024), Hertl has spent his entire NHL career with the organization and became the fourth-youngest NHL player to register four goals in a game (19 years, 330 days) in NHL history, and also was the first player at the time to score seven goals in his first five NHL games. Originally selected by San Jose in the 2012 NHL Draft (first round, 17th overall), Hertl appeared in 11 seasons for the Sharks, scoring 484 points (218 goals, 266 assists) in 712 games. He is one of seven Sharks skaters to appear in at least 700 games with the franchise, and one of six players to score at least 200 goals. On the all-time franchise list for San Jose, he ranks fifth in goals, sixth in points, and seventh in assists.
Hertl also helped the Sharks author their historic series win against Vegas in the First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring in double-overtime while shorthanded in Game 6 to earn a 2-1 win. He was the first player in league history to score a game-winning shorthanded goal in a postseason contest that required multiple overtimes. In his postseason career, Hertl appeared in 62 games and scored 42 points (24 goals, 18 assists). He ranks fifth in franchise history in postseason goals, and eighth in points.
