y begun, according to a source -- is taking care of franchise defenseman Brent Burns, who is one year away froom unrestricted free agency.ddddddddddddThe expectation is that the Sharks will sign Burns to a long-term extension this offseason.Wilson said he expects to have conversations next summer with

The Houston Rockets have expanded to esports and gaming, hiring a new director of esports in the teams front office, the franchise announced Thursday. The new director is former Team Archon chief executive officer and Namecheap head of esports Sebastian Park. No further moves for the team have been determined, and it intends to explore all options before making a formal investment.The franchise, which has shown interest in esports before, hired Park as an experienced esports executive. He ran Archon, the esports team owned by famous Hearthstone professional player Jason Amaz Chan, from 2015 to 2016. Park, 25, is a native of Los Angeles and a Yale graduate in cognitive science.What really drew me to the Rockets was their ability to say, There are things we know, and things we dont know. We know the esports space is valuable, now lets take time and really figure it out, Park told Bloomberg Technology.Rockets general manager Daryl Morey spoke about esports on ESPNs True Hoop podcast in August, stating that if he was involved in any other sport aside from basketball as a career, it would be esports. He also compared esports growth to 1950s basketball.The Rockets are the first NBA franchise to hire an esports-focused employee internally, but not the first NBA franchise to expand into the field. In September, the Philadelphia 76ers purchased North American team Apex Gaming and European organization Team Dignitas, quickly merging the two organizations and hiring new staffers under the Dignitas banner.Additionally, Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Guber and Washington Wizards co-owner Ted Leonsis invested with a group into esports org Team Liquid in September. Memphis Grizzlies co-owner Stephen Kaplan increased his stake in Immortals around the same time. 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Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. The San Jose Sharks have re-signed one of their key young players, Tomas Hertl, to a two-year deal, the club announced Thursday.A source told ESPN.com the deal is worth $2.8 million in the first year and $3.2 million in the second year, for a $3 million cap hit.Hertl, 22, had 21 goals and 25 assists last season. He was impactful in the playoffs, putting up 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 20 games while playing on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.I wont even put a limit on him, general manager Doug Wilson said. He just gets better and better. Hes a big, strong guy. ... When we drafted him, we expected him to be a dominant player and so does he. He has high expectations for himself. He loves to play the game. You can see that smile on his face. Its contagious.The Sharks, who lost to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals, might also add a player or two Friday when the free-agent market opens. But the organizations next big negotiation -- which has already begun, according to a source -- is taking care of franchise defenseman Brent Burns, who is one year away froom unrestricted free agency.ddddddddddddThe expectation is that the Sharks will sign Burns to a long-term extension this offseason.Wilson said he expects to have conversations next summer with Hertl about a longer-term deal, but both sides thought it was best to opt for a bridge contract because of Hertls potential to emerge into a star. He will be eligible to be a restricted free agent when this deal is done in 2018.Its good for me, too, because now I have two years to show my best hockey and show I can play longer here with the Sharks,, Hertl said. Its on me. Its better to sign the contract and well see the next two years how I play.Wilson said he is having talks with two other pending restricted free agents: forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Dylan DeMelo. Wilson previously said he will let pending unrestricted free agents Roman Polak, Nick Spaling, James Reimer and Dainius Zubrus hit the market Friday.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '