Sharks' Macklin Celebrini open to signing contract extension this summer

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Apr 18, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Sharks leading scorer Macklin Celebrini will likely be one of the NHL’s highest-paid players by the time the 2027-28 season begins.

It’s just a question of when Celebrini and the Sharks can come to an agreement on a contract extension, whether that’s this offseason or sometime next year.

After finishing as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer, Celebrini said Saturday that while he hasn’t thought too much about his next contract, he’s open to signing an extension as soon as this summer.

The Sharks and Celebrini can sign a new deal as early as July 1, as the 19-year-old centerman’s three-year entry-level contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

“I’m just open to every possibility,” Celebrini said Saturday at the Sharks’ practice facility as players gathered belongings and said some goodbyes. “There’s nothing really that goes into it. It goes hand in hand with me. I want to commit to this team and being here. I love it here. I’m open to whatever happens.”

Celebrini finished the season with 115 points in 82 games, leading a Sharks turnaround that saw the team — after finishing as the NHL’s last-place team the previous two years — remain in playoff contention until the final week of the regular season.

San Jose finished the season with a record of 39-35-8 for 86 points, a 32-point improvement over last season. Still, the Sharks won just seven of their 18 final games and ended the season four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The Sharks, with Celebrini leading the way, hope to take the next step as a team next season and break a seven-year playoff drought.

“This summer’s going to be really big for all of us,” said Will Smith, Celebrini’s linemate and the Sharks’ second-leading scorer this season with 59 points in 69 games. “I think we know the expectations now, it’s to be in the playoffs. Everyone knows we came up short, but next year, we’re definitely expected to be in it.”

Celebrini had a goal and two assists in the Sharks’ 6-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday as he broke Joe Thornton’s franchise record of points in a single season with 114 in 2006-07.

Celebrini could be a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team. Celebrini, who turns 20 in June, scored or assisted on over 45% of the Sharks’ 251 goals this season. Celebrini heard chants of “MVP, MVP” this season during several games at SAP Center, although the award has historically gone to players on playoff teams.

Still, in league-wide scoring, Celebrini only finished behind Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (138 points), Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (130) and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (127). That trio could comprise the three finalists for the Hart.

“Those are the guys that I’m looking to learn from and watch them,” Celebrini said. “They’ve been around for 10-plus years, so they’re the guys, when I was a kid, I was watching. Even now, I’m still trying to learn them and see what makes them successful. That would be pretty cool.”

Celebrini’s next deal, perhaps depending on the length, could make him one of the three highest-paid players in the NHL.

This season, Oilers center Leon Draisaitl had the league’s biggest salary cap hit at $14 million. But Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov will start an eight-year, $136 million deal in the fall, a contract that carries a staggering salary cap hit of $17 million.

Celebrini’s next contract, under the collective bargaining agreement, can be no more than 20% of the cap at the time the new deal begins. The cap for this past season was $95.5 million, is expected to rise to $104 million next year, and is projected at $113.5 million for the 2027-28 season.

This is the last offseason that players re-signing with their own teams can ink eight-year contract extensions. Starting in mid-September, when the new collective bargaining agreement fully takes effect, the maximum contract length will be seven years.

“The season just ended,” said Celebrini, who turns 20 in June. “I haven’t really thought about anything like that.”

The Sharks, though, have known since they drafted Celebrini No. 1 overall two years ago that they would one day need to make him one of the NHL’s highest-paid players.

The Sharks’ front office might be open to signing the Celebrini to whatever contract he wants, regardless of the term or dollar amount. But a big bill is coming soon with Celebrini, as it is with Smith, the Sharks’ second-leading scorer, who is also eligible for a contract extension in July.

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