Collin Delia

While Sharks center Tomas Hertl is a highly-speculated candidate to be traded this season, San Jose GM Doug Wilson has other plans.  Speaking with reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, Wilson indicated that extension talks are well underway:

I’ve had several conversations with his agent. And when you have conversations with agents, they’re always kept in confidence. The rhythm of the negotiation, the time and place of it. Tomas knows how we feel about him.

However, as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News points out, the Sharks may not be able to afford to carry another long-term deal on their books with over $48MM tied up in just seven players for 2023-24 and a salary cap that’s not expected to go up much in the next few years.  Hertl has said he’s open to the idea of taking a bit less to stay in a winning environment but San Jose will have to quickly turn things around to have a chance at him signing a slightly lower deal.

More from the Western Conference:

• The Wild announced that they have named defenseman Matt Dumba and winger Marcus Foligno as alternate captains. They take the place of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise who were both bought out this summer.  Dumba, who had been in trade speculation for the past couple of years before Suter’s departure, is heading into his ninth NHL season, all with Minnesota while Foligno is entering his 11th NHL campaign and fifth with the Wild.
• With Edmonton adding Derek Ryan this summer as their presumptive third center plus Ryan McLeod being a strong candidate to make the roster, the Oilers have shifted long-time middleman Kyle Turris to the right wing, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Last season was a tough one for Turris who started as the third center and finished as a frequent healthy scratch while spending time on the taxi squad.  He’s entering the final year of his deal with a $1.65MM AAV.  Nearly 70% of that could come off Edmonton’s cap if he’s waived and sent to the minors so he’ll need a strong camp to make the team and not be eyed as a possible avenue to free up some wiggle room on the cap.
• The Blackhawks announced that goaltender Collin Delia was not available to practice with the team today due to a non-COVID-19-related illness. The 27-year-old got into six games with Chicago last season but will likely be on the outside looking in at a roster spot for this season following the acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury and the return of Kevin Lankinen.