NHL Trade Grades: Golden Knights acquire Tomas Hertl in trade deadline stunner

The Vegas Golden Knights could already be considered one of the winners of the NHL Trade Deadline by acquiring Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames for essentially a first-round pick and a third-round pick.

Vegas getting Calgary and the Flyers to eat a combined 75% of Hanifin's contract made it seem like they'd pull off another move. Players like Jake Guentzel and Tyler Toffoli were available and expected to be move, but Vegas wound up swinging bigger, acquiring San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl, a player under contract through the 2029-30 season in a blockbuster.

TSN's Bob McKenzie was first with the stunner of all stunners. The Golden Knights once again acquired a game-changing player as they attempt to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Golden Knights make major push for Stanley Cup by acquiring Tomas Hertl from Sharks

TSN's Darren Dreger was first with the package, and it's a doozy. The Golden Knights acquire Hertl, a forward that can help their top-six, but pay a major price to do so. They sent David Edstrom, a player they selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft, as well as their 2025 first-round pick. They hold onto their 2024 first, which is a bit surprising.

While the initial Dreger tweet suggests Vegas also sent out a pair of third-rounders, he clarified that by saying the Golden Knights were receiving the thirds alongside Hertl.

The 30-year-old forward has spent all 11 seasons of his career with the Sharks, scoring as many as 35 goals and putting up as many as 74 points in a season. This season, Hertl has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 48 games, decent numbers despite playing on a horrendous Sharks team. He's injured right now, but all signs indicate he'll be ready to go in the playoffs, which is what Vegas is playing for.

Hertl has six years remaining on his deal at a reasonable $6.75 million cap hit. The money won't look great in 3-4 years, but Vegas is making a play to win right now. Giving up a pair of firsts won't mean much if it results in another Stanley Cup.

While this makes a lot of sense for the Golden Knights, it also makes a lot of sense for the Sharks. Not only do they get out of a Hertl contract that could've aged very poorly, but they got a player just selected in the first round while also getting another first-round pick to help in their rebuild.

The Sharks are a team with no chance of winning anything of note anytime soon, so trading Hertl while he still has value and only having to retain 17% of his contract (although doing so for six years hurts) is another win.

Overall, it's hard not to see this as a win-win. The Sharks get out of what could've been a detrimental contract and gain assets to help them rebuild, even if they're not insane assets, and the Golden Knights improve their chances of winning the ultimate prize.

Golden Knights Grade: A
Sharks Grade: B+