The San Jose Sharks announced that forward Tomas Hertl will be out for the remainder of the season with ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.

Tomas Hertl torn ACL and MCL in left knee. Out for the season.

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) January 30, 2020

Tomas Hertl Out For The Season

After playing in the All-Star this past weekend, Hertl’s season has come to an end earlier than he wanted. During the Sharks 5-2 loss on Wednesday to the Vancouver Canucks, Hertl left the game early. The injury occurred in the first period when Hertl awkwardly fell into the boards after a collision with Chris Tanev. Prior to leaving the game with an injury, Hertl scored the Sharks’ first goal. The Sharks thought Hertl would be healthy before Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but after undergoing further evaluation, the news could not have been worse.

Despite the Sharks having a down season, Hertl was the second-leading scorer on the team behind Erik Karlsson with 36 points. In 48 games this season, Hertl recorded 16 goals and 20 assists.

Going Forward

This is a massive blow to the Sharks offence. The Sharks are very thin at the centre position. Already without Logan Couture, who is sidelined with a fractured ankle, the Sharks could ill-afford to lose another weapon up front. The team will rely on players like Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and especially Kevin Labanc to step up. Considering the team-friendly deal Labanc signed in the off-season, he really needs to have a strong second half of the season.

With the way things have gone this season for the Sharks, it would be wise for the team to reevaluate their position. Being at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, it feels the Sharks could be a seller once the trade deadline arrives.

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