Tomas Hertl has waited for this since the Golden Knights’ schedule came out.

“One of the days I looked for before the season was (when) we’d play in the ‘Shark Tank,’” Hertl said.

That day is Friday.

That’s when Hertl will return to San Jose’s SAP Center for the first time since the Sharks traded him to the Knights in March.

The rivalry between the two Pacific Division foes has dipped the past few years. The Knights (23-8-3) have consistently been one of the NHL’s best teams. The Sharks (11-20-6) haven’t made the playoffs since 2019.

San Jose, given its lack of recent success, decided it made sense to trade Hertl. He had an incredible tenure with the team, scoring 218 goals and 484 points in 712 games after being selected with the 17th pick in the 2012 draft.

The surprising part is San Jose was willing to trade Hertl within the division. The Knights gave up their 2025 first-round pick and center prospect David Edstrom in the deal, but also got the Sharks to retain 17 percent of Hertl’s $8.14 million cap hit.

The 31-year-old has no idea what to expect Friday.

“The feeling will get me when I get there, even at the morning skate and stuff like that,” Hertl told the Review-Journal. “I’m pretty excited to come back, but at the same time, it’s going to be a little weird. I was there for 11 years. I was never in the visiting room. Now, I’m coming to the rink like an outsider.”

Solid tenure

The Sharks were consistent contenders most of Hertl’s time with the team, but never got over the hump.

He helped San Jose reach the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, which it lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hertl’s last trip to the playoffs with the Sharks was a memorable one. He scored a short-handed goal in double overtime of Game 6 of San Jose’s first-round series with the Knights in 2019. That extended the series to Game 7, which the Sharks won in overtime after center Cody Eakin was called for a controversial major penalty in the third period.

San Jose went on to advance to the Western Conference Final but lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in six games. Hertl finished with 15 points in 19 games during that postseason run.

Things have been tough for the Sharks ever since. Their .396 points percentage is the worst in the NHL since the start of the 2019-20 season. San Jose finished with the league’s worst record last year, which led to it landing Boston University center Macklin Celebrini with the first pick in June’s draft at Sphere.

Celebrini, 18, is third among rookies in scoring with 25 points in 25 games.

Hertl still has plenty of friends on the Sharks. He tries to keep up with them when he can.

“I don’t want them to do better than us, but I still keep an eye on them,” Hertl said. “When you play somewhere for 11 years, no one can really take that away from you.”

New team

Hertl, by his own standards, has had an inconsistent first full season with his current team.

He has 24 points in 34 games, but leads the Knights with seven power-play goals. He’s coming off a two-point game Monday in his team’s 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

“He’s around the puck,” Cassidy said. “I think he’s fitting in better in terms of the style we want to play. It takes a while, especially for centermen.”

One of the challenges Hertl has faced during his time with the Knights is a lack of consistent linemates. Coach Bruce Cassidy has found at least one good winger for Hertl in Keegan Kolesar.

Cassidy then tried out William Karlsson on Hertl’s left wing Monday and the decision paid off right away. The Knights had a 17-4 edge in shot attempts with Karlsson, Hertl and Kolesar on the ice.

“I like playing with him. He’s got the vision and he’s pretty shifty,” Karlsson said. “We’ve just got to be a little bit more effective. We had the chances, but didn’t bury too many. The chances have been there and it’s been good.”

Cassidy could shuffle the lines again when left wing Ivan Barbashev and center Nicolas Roy return from their upper-body injuries. It’s unclear if either will be available Friday.

For now, Hertl appears to have found a solid group to work with. Just before what should be one of his most emotional games of the year.

“I know they’re playing better, and it definitely won’t be an easy game, but I definitely want to have a good game there and enjoy, hopefully, a good reception from the fans,” Hertl said.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.