Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl sidelined for three-game road trip due to injury

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without Tomas Hertl for at least the next three games after the veteran forward suffered an injury Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Speaking with team broadcaster Daren Millard on Monday, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said, “[Hertl] didn’t make the trip with us. He remained home, so he won’t play this week. He will get tests done. I think he’s had some done today and again more tomorrow to determine exactly what we’re dealing with, but he will be missing this trip.”

The Golden Knights begin a three-game road trip Tuesday versus the Minnesota Wild before a Friday contest against the Chicago Blackhawks followed by a Saturday showdown against the Nashville Predators. The Golden Knights then return home on April 1 to take on the Edmonton Oilers.

For Hertl, the 31-year-old Czech-born forward has made 70 appearances with the Golden Knights this season in which he has tallied 59 points including a team-leading 31 goals. Skating in his first full season with Vegas, the Golden Knights originally acquired Hertl from the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for fellow forward David Edstrom as well as the club’s first-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft.

Originally chosen 17th overall by San Jose in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hertl has totaled 788 career contests between the Sharks and Golden Knights in which he has registered 251 goals and 296 assists for 547 points. Hertl has also added 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points through 69 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Per PuckPedia, Hertl is in the third year of an eight-year contract that carries a $8,137,500 cap hit, of which $1,387,500 is retained by the Sharks.

For the Golden Knights, on the season the club sits atop the Pacific Division with a 42-20-8 record, five points up on the second-placed Los Angeles Kings.