The Vegas Golden Knights are perpetually the NHL offseason’s biggest wildcard. Their rumored chase of NHL free agency’s biggest fish, Mitch Marner, has potentially opened up an opportunity for New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald to check off this season’s most important item from his to-do list even before the draft and free agency. According to recent reports, the Vegas Golden Knights are exploring a trade that would send star center Tomáš Hertl off the Strip.
Tomas Hertl's name is one I've heard a few times since last week.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) June 24, 2025
Reports he may be on his way out of Vegas this morning to the Eastern Conference.
Hertl is a perfect solution to some of the Devils' most significant questions as this critical offseason begins. Trading for Hertl would be a massive, immediate boost to New Jersey's top-six forwards. Coming off a fantastic season where he posted 32 goals and 61 points for the Golden Knights, the Czech center is a proven and consistent offensive force.
He’s had 60 points in three of the last four years, and his value was further demonstrated in the playoffs this past season, though a surface-level glance at his five points in 11 games doesn't tell the full story. Hertl was a play driver throughout the Knights’ two playoff series, frequently looking like one of Vegas's most dangerous forwards and posting a stellar 60.4% expected goals for percentage. This is precisely the kind of impactful, two-way presence the Devils need to complement their young, skilled forwards.
He would also bring long-term cost certainty to the Devils second biggest offseason budget item, after the inevitable Luke Hughes extension. Hertl has five years remaining on his contract at a reasonable cap hit of $6.75 million per year, a result of the San Jose Sharks retaining a portion of his salary in the 2024 trade that sent Hertl to Vegas. In the rising cap era, locking in a top-six center of his caliber at that number for the next half-decade would be a strategic masterpiece.
While many will point out the Devils already have two top 6 centers, and have a more pressing need for a scoring winger, the beauty of a Hertl trade is that it would allow the team to deploy Jack Hughes on Hertl’s wing. This would be crucial to preserving Hughes's health, as he’s recovering from his second season-ending shoulder injury in three years.
Freed from the relentless grind of playing center defensively and the pressure of crucial defensive-zone draws, Hughes could be unleashed as a pure offensive dynamo, similar to how the Edmonton Oilers successfully deployed Leon Draisaitl throughout the playoffs. The upgrade at the faceoff dot alone would be transformative for the Devils. Hughes has struggled in the dot his entire career, with a career faceoff win percentage of just 36.1%. Hertl, by contrast, is an elite faceoff man, boasting a career 53.8% success rate and an even better 55.9% last season. The Devils did not start plays with position nearly enough last season, preventing them from generating as many chances off the rush and keeping them pinned in the defensive zone too often.
Adding to the urgency of a potential Hertl deal is the reported interest from the rival Carolina Hurricanes, who eliminated the Devils from the playoffs. By aggressively pursuing Hertl, the Devils would not only be improving their offense, but actively preventing a divisional rival from improving theirs; a classic two-birds-one-stone situation.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of a Hertl trade is that the acquisition cost may be lower than it typically would for a player of Hertl's caliber. Vegas's motivation is clear: they are reportedly attempting to clear the necessary cap space to make a serious pitch for superstar Mitch Marner. The Golden Knights desperation to move Hertl’s contract out could give New Jersey significant leverage. The Golden Knights have previously made mistakes in cap-shedding deals like this in the past (like when they traded the Vezina Trophy-winning Marc-Andre Fleury for nothing in 2021).
While Vegas paid a premium for Hertl last year, sending a late first-round pick and a top prospect David Edstrom to San Jose, the return will likely be diminished given their current goals. With ample cap space after moving Erik Haula’s contract to Nashville, the Devils can absorb Hertl's contract without sending any salary back. A potential package could be just the Devils 2026 or 2027 first round pick, or perhaps a combination of this year's two second-round picks and a quality prospect like defenseman Seamus Casey. For a player who can immediately address multiple needs, that is a price the Devils should be more than willing to pay.
Tomáš Hertl is the right player at the right time for this team, offering the perfect blend of present skill, consistent production, experience, and contractual stability. It’s an opportunity for the Devils to get better, stronger, and more versatile. Tom Fitzgerald should get on the phone with Vegas before Carolina GM Eric Tulsky does again.