A Vegas Golden Knights Star Reportedly Heading East

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to ship Tomáš Hertl ahead of free agency which begins on July 1st, and the NHL Entry Draft which begins on Friday June 27th.

The likely destination is the Carolina Hurricanes which have been rumored to be making a deal; however, Tomáš Hertl does have a no trade clause that could put a monkey wrench in the Vegas Golden Knights plans to try and unload the center before the beginning of free agency.

Tomáš Hertl is coming off of a season in which he scored 32 goals and 29 assists in 73 regular season games for the Vegas Golden Knights. In the playoffs Hertl would score 3 goals and have 8 assists in 11 playoff games for Vegas.

For those wondering why the Vegas Golden Knights would part with Tomáš Hertl? The answer is his contract prevents Vegas from making other potential deals. Back in 2022, Tomáš Hertl signed an eight-year, $65.1 million contract with the San Jose Sharks. In 2024 the San Jose Sharks in rebuild mode dealt Hertel to the Vegas Golden Knights.

As a result of the 2024 trade between the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights, Vegas inherited his large contract that runs through the 2029-30 season.

The Vegas Golden Knights coming off of a Pacific division title fell in the 2nd round to the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers are looking to bolster their lineup with Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Mitch Marner at the of their list.

Mitch Marner is the top ranked unrestricted free agent, and for the Golden Knights to potentially make a play at Marner they need to make some salary cap space.

Once the rumored trade of Tomáš Hertl goes through, the interesting thing would be what would Vegas get in return as far as players, prospects or draft picks?

For his career Tomáš Hertl has played in 791 career NHL games, and currently has 252 career goals and 297 assists.

As far as Tomáš Hertl in his career versus the Washington Capitals. Tomáš Hertl has played in 19 games between his time with the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, and has 6 goals and 6 assists so far in his career versus the Capitals.