Should the Golden Knights worry about Tomáš Hertl’s disappointing playoff round? tchieu

LAS VEGAS — It wasn’t the playoff debut Tomáš Hertl hoped for with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The big, strong centerman hadn’t played in the postseason for four years prior to this one, but his playing style is built for it. He entered the playoffs excited to show that to his new team, but never found his game in the seven-game first-round loss to the Dallas Stars.

Hertl had a lone goal — on the power play in Game 1 — and was held off the score sheet entirely for the remaining six games of the series. He looked sluggish in the neutral zone, and didn’t get to the front of the opposing net at his usual rate at five-on-five.

The slow start is understandable, considering the circumstances. When Vegas traded for Hertl before the March 8 trade deadline, he was still recovering from knee surgery in February. He didn’t join his new teammates for practice until April 1, and played in only six regular-season games before the postseason.

Finding chemistry with new teammates is a difficult task on its own. Doing it at the most intense time of the season, coming off a knee procedure, was asking a lot of the 30-year-old.

“I should be the player who can play with anybody in this league, but I just couldn’t find my 100-percent game,” Hertl said on Tuesday.

In 111 minutes with Hertl on the ice at even strength in the playoffs, Vegas was outscored 5-0.

“For the playoffs, I definitely know I can be better,” Hertl said. “I don’t think that was my game, or what I can bring to the team. That was tough for me to deal with when we lost, because I know I can help way more than I did during the playoffs.”

The Golden Knights made a big bet on Hertl when they traded for him. He has six years remaining on his contract (signed through 2029-30) and carries a cap hit of $6.75 million per year. That deal will take him to age 36.

Considering the long-term commitment to Hertl, his lackluster playoff performance raised some concern. This year’s knee procedure wasn’t his first. Hertl had surgery to repair ligaments in his right knee midway through his rookie season in 2013. Then, in 2020, he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee, requiring major surgery. This year’s surgery was much more minor, cleaning out loose cartilage in that left knee.

“Obviously, it’s not easy, but at the same time, I’ve never had an issue coming back from any injury,” Hertl said. “I’ve always come back strong.”

Following his first knee procedure in 2013, Hertl returned to play in all 82 games in 2014-15, and 81 in 2015-16. He did something similar after his second procedure, playing in 50 of 56 games in 2020-21 and all 82 the following season.

“I will never be the fastest guy on the team, obviously, but that’s why I have to be even better in other situations,” he explained. “(I need to be) stronger on the puck, which I think I just didn’t have the confidence, maybe, in the playoffs, because I know I can be way stronger on the puck, hold the puck more and make more plays.”

There’s optimism from both Hertl and the team that he’ll look like a very different player after a full offseason.

“I think his pace will be better next year when he comes back fully healthy, ready to go with a full training camp playing with our guys,” coach Bruce Cassidy said, “so I’m not concerned there.”

“I know I got to the NHL because of my work ethic,” Hertl said, “so I just want to get fully healthy, stronger and just be ready for the season. Hopefully I can enjoy all 82 games, help this team to win and go on a playoff run.”

It was a whirlwind couple of months for Hertl and his family after the trade. He changed organizations for the first time in his NHL career, had to adapt to a new city, teammates and coaching staff — all while recovering from surgery.

“It was definitely a lot of changes for my family,” he said. “Sometimes it’s harder for my wife, because in the locker room with the guys you get used to it so quickly, but I think everything was pretty smooth here because everyone was so nice and helped us.”

He feels more settled at this point. He and his wife, Aneta, purchased a home in Las Vegas just before the playoffs. They’ll spend most of the summer at home in Prague, Czech Republic. Hertl said he will take some time off to decompress from the season and let his body recover, then he’ll begin his offseason regimen – and even hinted at possibly cutting down from his current listed weight of 215 pounds.

The recovery from surgery wasn’t the only obstacle Hertl was trying to overcome in the postseason. The Golden Knights also struggled to find a good spot for him in the lineup. In 13 total games — regular season and playoffs — Hertl played on nine different line combinations, with 11 different players.

“It’s tough to say who I felt the best with, because I just played a couple of games here,” Hertl said. “I kind of played almost with at least half the team. Obviously, the last couple of years I played more center, so I’m more comfortable with (that).”

Cassidy moved Hertl back and forth between center and left wing, for a variety of reasons. He played on the first, second and third lines at different points of the playoff series. The combinations he played most with were on the left wing with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, and at center between Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone.

Those lines were each outscored 2-0 by the Stars, which played a big factor in the first-round loss, but there are positives to take. Both combinations resulted in positive shot share and expected goal share metrics, suggesting they outplayed the goal numbers.

During the regular season, Hertl played with five different combinations of players in only six games. There were only two combinations he played more than 10 minutes of ice time with: Centering a line with Stephenson and Pavel Dorofeyev, and another with Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev.

This early in the offseason, Cassidy obviously doesn’t have a concrete plan for Hertl’s spot in next year’s lineup, but it’s something he’ll put a lot of thought into this summer.

“I anticipate he’ll play center, because that’s more of his natural position and we’d like to use him there,” Cassidy said. “But let’s see what our roster looks like once we sort out who’s staying, who’s not, the cap situation, free agency and the draft.”

That rules out Hertl playing with Eichel, as they’ll likely serve as the top two centers next season. Cassidy also prefers to build a line more suited to take advantage of Hertl’s strengths.

“I see him being a down-low type of center, puck-possession guy, so we need to surround him with complementary guys,” Cassidy said. “We want to build a line that complements his skill. I think we have those guys in the room.”

Eichel and Karlsson both center lines that generate the majority of their offense on the rush. Hertl prefers to play below the goal line, beating players in one-on-one battles and scoring down low. That could match up well with Stone, who is strong enough to play down low, and has the hands and vision to make plays in tight. Perhaps Barbashev’s physicality is a better match, or Dorofeyev’s scoring touch near the net. There are a lot of options for Cassidy to consider.

One thing is certain: Hertl wasn’t happy with how this season ended and is determined to make amends.

“It was tough,” he said. “I didn’t play in the playoffs the last four or five years, and I almost forgot how much it sucks to lose in the playoffs… The moment you lose, and you’re done, it hurts and it sucks.”

Getting the most out of Hertl will be one of the biggest keys to the Golden Knights 2024-25 season and beyond. He’s now a major part of the core of this team, with only defenseman Noah Hanifin under contract for longer.

“It’s still exciting for me, being in this organization,” Hertl said. “I know this team has potential, and will be back right away. Hopefully I can bring more to the table, help the team win a lot of games.”

(Photo of Tomáš Hertl: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)