via TSN,

The San Jose Sharks could be without the services of rookie forward Tomas Hertl for an extended period of time.

Roman Jedlicka of Czech TV network TV Nova Sport reported on Friday morning that the 20-year-old could be out for a month. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie corroborated the report and added that Hertl's spell on the sidelines could last even longer than that.

Hertl sustained an apparent knee injury when he was hit knee-on-knee by Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown in Thursday night's 4-1 loss. Brown was assessed a five-minute major on the play, as well as a game misconduct.

The 2012 first-round pick is a heavy Calder Trophy favourite, leading all rookies in goals (15) and points (25) in 35 games played.

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