San Jose Sharks place all-star centerman on injured reserve

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks placed center Tomas Hertl on injured reserve Monday, according to the NHL’s media site.

Hertl was battling a lower-body ailment that caused him to miss the Sharks’ last two games at the end of last month, against the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 30 and the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 31.

He attended the NHL All-Star festivities from Feb. 1-3 in Toronto and at less than full strength, played in the 3-on-3 tournament that saw his team with captain Connor McDavid make the final but lose to a team captained by Auston Matthews.

Hertl leads the Sharks with 15 goals 34 points in 48 games.

The Sharks were looking forward to having a full complement of centermen available to them for the first time this season, as Hertl, Logan Couture, Mikael Granlund and Nico Sturm have all had to miss at least some time this season.

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