The Shallow End: Offseason 2019 2019-11-26 Sick and tired of deep dives? Have no fear, "The Shallow End" is a place for news around the San Jose Sharks organization, broken into points that are short and sweet. Hak Attack Back for Another Crack? With the EHE's head coach signing period just around the corner, the Sharks have a decision to make on the future of Dave Hakstol. Signed to a one-year extension prior to last season, Hakstol is again in need of a new contract—but it's still up in the air whether the Sharks intend to retain the man who has been behind their bench since 2015. Given the roster he's had to work with over the last couple of years, Hakstol certainly deserves credit for keeping things respectable on the ice as the franchise tries to pull off a dramatic rebuild. And with a guaranteed salary of slightly more than $1.8 million, he'd still be an affordable option compared to his contemporaries around the league. But all that will be moot, of course, if the man himself has no interest in returning for a fifth season in California, or if Sharks GM Kyle Phillips is looking to bring in a fresh face. So far, neither party has given any hints about their intentions, though it's rumoured that they will meet later this week to reach a decision. Sense of Urgen-C One area where there will definitely be a transition for the organization is in its locker room leadership, as both the Sharks and Barracuda will need to name new captains following the departures of Matt Hendricks and Duncan Siemens. Wearing the 'C' for their respective clubs over the past two seasons, Hendricks and Siemens earned plenty of respect in San Jose for their calming influence and team-first mentality. That said, neither was ever viewed as a long-term fit for the captaincy, and by the end of last year both players were extremely limited in terms of their on-ice contributions. As a result, the organization is said to be looking to fill its leadership vacancies on a more long-term basis this time around. That would seem to rule out veteran candidates such as John McCarthy, Matt Moulson, or Mathieu Perreault, leaving an open question of just how young the Sharks and Barracuda will go when appointing their new captains. Who's On First (Rounder)? Though he'd surely deny it, the evidence is piling up that Kyle Phillips has a grudge against his amateur scouting staff. What other explanation could there be, after the third-year GM moved yet another first round pick out of town last week? To wit: During his tenure so far, Phillips acquired and then flipped LA's 1st round pick in 2018; unintentionally lost his team's own 1st in a bungled offer sheet in 2019; and has already traded away the Sharks' first rounders in both 2020 and 2021. There are a couple of caveats here, of course. One is that it often takes years before the true value of a draft pick is known, so the jury is still out on how much the organization might miss those draft selections in the long run. The other is that, one way or another, all those draft picks did act as trade chips to bring a lot of future assets into the fold, in keeping with the organization's stated goal of rebuilding with youth. For example, the most recent move (involving SJ 1 2021) fetched promising defender Travis Sanheim, who could be a big part of the team for years to come. But caveats aside, one thing is clear: the Sharks' scouts have earned their paychecks— and more than a few grey hairs—since Phillips took the reins.