Sharks' Hertl (knee) to miss several weeks

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier announced on Monday that forward Tomas Hertl has elected to undergo a procedure on his injured knee that will keep him out of action for several weeks.

The procedure on the 30-year-old Hertl is to clean out loose cartilage in his left knee and an update will be forthcoming with an exact timeline for a return.

Grier says the team had no issue with Hertl's participation in last week's All-Star Game.

"Due to the nature of this injury, the Sharks were completely comfortable with Tomas' decision to participate in the All-Star Weekend, and we respect his decision to have this procedure done now," Grier said.

Hertl say his decision to attend was made in concert with team doctors.

"After speaking with doctors and our medical staff earlier this year, it was clear that the injury was not going to get any worse and I could continue to play through it, including attending the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto," Hertl said. "After returning from Toronto and having additional conversations with my family and our team medical staff over the last week, I made the decision to have this procedure done now so that I can return to 100% as soon as possible. I look forward to returning to the ice and getting back with my teammates as soon as I can."

A native of Prague, Hertl is in his 11th NHL season, all spent with the Sharks. Through 48 games, Hertl had 15 goals and 19 assists this season.