"It's [good] to sign a nice long contract and be a franchise player and be part of the Sharks," Hertl said. "It's an honor, but at the same time, I know what is coming with that. I'm one of the leaders and I have to make it better, so it's challenging for me and I want to see every day, every year us getting better."
The 28-year-old forward is in the final season of a four-year contract he signed with San Jose on July 2, 2018, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"Tomas has evolved into a premier top-line centerman in the league, competing against the NHL's best players every single night and delivering significant results," Sharks assistant general manger Joe Will said. "There are few centermen in the NHL with his combination of physical and dynamic play, and he is a player that you build a franchise around. We are fortunate to have two of the league's top centermen on one team with Tomas and Logan Couture. … We are thrilled to have Tomas for another eight years."
Hertl has scored 48 points (25 goals, 23 assists) in 59 games this season. He is tied with Timo Meier for the Sharks lead in goals and is second behind Meier in points (58).
"Over the last two weeks we had great talks with Joe and the team," Hertl said. "It hasn't been an easy last couple of years, but I think we are this year [proving] we can play good hockey. My heart was always here at home with the Sharks. I wasn't really wanting to leave, but at the end of the day, it's business. But I'm really excited to be here signed for many years."
The agreement was reached five days before the NHL Trade Deadline.
"We've always been committed to signing him to this contract," Will said. "We didn't even look at the (trade) market, really. ... It was [about being] fully committed to signing up here because we recognize the importance of the top-line center. ... First and foremost, we are recognizing the market, and now's the time, and players are going for [draft] picks and prospects. But again, at that time, that's a different direction for the organization. And that's taking a step backward and building and such, and this is a commitment to winning now. A commitment to pushing forward."
Selected by the Sharks in the first round (No. 17) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Hertl has scored 371 points (176 goals, 195 assists) in 562 regular-season games and 42 points (24 goals, 18 assists) in 62 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
San Jose (26-25-8) is seventh in the Pacific Division and eight points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Sharks have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons.
"I see a lot of potential," Hertl said. "We've been down a couple of years but now it's time to come back and be a playoff team."
NHL.com independent correspondent Chelena Goldman contributed to this report
