標籤: Maclin

The San Jose Sharks have one of the best players in the NHL at the moment in 19-year-old Maclin Celebrini. Coming off a record-breaking season where he almost led the team to the playoffs, it appears the phenom will be rewarded with a new deal this summer.

On the latest episode of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts, insider Elliotte Friedman said San Jose will be proactive regarding extension talks with Celebrini once he becomes eligible. He does not expect Celebrini’s camp to come up with a long-term deal for seven to eight years, but a four-year deal is also unlikely.

“I think they work hard on it. For me, it’s not a question of numbers, but of words. I can’t see them or their representatives… I can’t see them wanting to go for eight years or seven years.:

Elliotte Friedman on Maclin Celebrini contract extension talks for the San Jose Sharks

RELATED: Agents reveal potential cost of Macklin Celebrini contract extension

• Macklin Celebrini Contract (Puckpedia): $975,000 cap hit (2026-27), RFA in 2027

Friedman further said the extension could be for three or five years. The three-year extension will serve as the final year before Celebrini becomes an unrestricted free agent. Alternatively, a five-year contract would effectively buy out the first year he would be eligible for NHL free agency as an unrestricted free agent.

Both sides will have to figure out how to strike the right balance between giving Celebrini a salary that reflects his value to the franchise, while also keeping it at a point that allows the front office to build a great team around the franchise.

RELATED: Why Macklin Deserves the Celebrini Hart Trophy

• Macklin Celebrini Statistics (2025–26): 115 points (70 assists, 45 goals), 8 power-play goals, 25 power-play assists

Based on informed speculation from agents who spoke to The Athletic, a three-year extension could come in at anywhere in the ballpark of $10 million to $12 million per season. If both parties can agree on a five-year deal, the average annual value of the said deal could be closer to $14 million to $15 million.

At the very least, a contract extension is likely sometime this summer after Celebrini becomes eligible for the first time on July 1. Once this matter is resolved, the Sharks will have a much clearer picture of their long-term financial flexibility and how they can strengthen their defense in the years to come.

RELATED: Love the San Jose Sharks? Watch San Jose Hockey Now

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

San Jose Sharks phenom Maclin Celebrini capped off a season at age 19 where he broke the franchise’s single-season points record and reached milestones that were only achieved by the all-time greats. With this he can break some new records with his next contract.

In a poll of NHL agents conducted by The Athletic, Celebrini received the second-most votes to select who will be the highest-paid player in hockey by the start of the 2028–29 season.

RELATED: Why Macklin Deserves the Celebrini Hart Trophy

“Why shouldn’t Celebrini make $20 million a year? I mean, that’s a lot, but look at that kid. I guess my thing with Celebrini is I know it’s not apples to apples because Kaprizov could have become a UFA, but if you’re that, why wouldn’t I say, Kaprizov is getting it, why shouldn’t I make more than Kaprizov?”

NHL agent on Macklin Celebrini potentially getting $20M/year contract

Another survey asked agents about the future contracts of both Celebrini and fellow No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. While the Chicago Blackhawks star received considerable praise, the general consensus was that Celebrini is on a “very different level” than Bedard.

An agent suggested that Celebrini’s eventual extension with San Jose would be in the range of $10 to $17 million per season. If the 19-year-old were to sign a short-term deal, it would most likely be somewhere between $10-12 million. If he wants long-term security and a long-term commitment to the club, that figure could reach more than $17 million.

RELATED: Love the San Jose Sharks? Watch San Jose Hockey Now

“He’s going to get a big deal, and they’re going to have to pay him. What Celebrini is doing in San Jose is incredible. It’s happening at a slower pace with other contracts being so big. This is going to take him to another level, which will reshape the way teams squeeze in their high-level guys.”

Undisclosed NHL agent on potential Macklin Celebrini contract extension (via The Athletic)

Celebrini is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Sharks on July 1. During his record-breaking season, in which he set multiple single-season franchise marks and joined the record books of legends like Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, the team was relatively quiet on a potential long-term deal.

However, Sharks general manager Mike Grier joked with reporters when asked about the matter earlier this season, saying “We probably wouldn’t try to sign him.”

For now, according to PuckPedia.com, Celebrini is under contract for next season with an $877,500 base salary with a $975,000 cap hit and performance bonuses of up to $3.5 million. While he is eligible for restricted free agency as a 21-year-old after the 2026-27 season, he will likely have a new deal with San Jose before 2027.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The National Hockey League’s Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded each season to the player deemed most valuable to his team in the NHL. This season, teenage phenom Maclin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks should be the pick.

As we near the end of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are the favorites for the Hart Trophy. While they both certainly deserve it this year, their team’s Most Valuable Player in hockey played in San Jose in 2026.

Let’s look at our case for why Celebrini should win the Hart Trophy.

Macklin Celebrini’s historic season deserves a historic trophy

In professional sports, narrative and history shape MVP voting. We’ve seen it in the NBA, when Russell Westbrook won MVP after averaging a triple-double on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that finished sixth in their conference. Miguel Cabrera won the AL MVP while hitting for the Triple Crown in 2012, and the NFL MVP has been awarded based on storylines in the past.

Narrative and NHL history should also influence Hart Trophy voting. This season, Celebrini became the sixth teenager in history to record over 100 points in a season, joining such all-time greats as Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk, and Jimmy Carson. Earlier this season, he joined Lemieux, Gretzky and Crosby as the fourth teenager in NHL history with more than 40 points in 27 or fewer games.

The 19-year-old is also set to break Gretzky’s NHL record for highest points percentage on his team’s goals as a teenager. Celebrini is on pace for the third-most points total by a teenager in NHL history, behind only Crosby and Gretzky. Additionally, he is set to break San Jose’s single-season points record (Joe Thornton, 114).

From a narrative standpoint, it seems appropriate to end a historic season with Celebrini, joining Gretzky and Crosby as the only teenagers to win the Hart Trophy in NHL history.

RELATED: How the Sharks are looking at Maclin Celebrini’s minutes

The Celebrini Effect: Most Valuable Player in Hockey

The Hart Trophy is what defines what Celebrini is doing in San Jose this season. Through 76 games, the Sharks have scored 234 goals, with Celebrini scoring one point on 45.7 percent. For comparison, Kucherov has recorded a point on 45.2 percent of 279 goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and MacKinnon has recorded a point on 42.5 percent of 287 goals for the Colorado Avalanche.

Taking things a step further, let’s compare how each Hart Trophy candidate scores against their peers. Kucherov has a 40-point advantage over Tampa Bay’s second-highest scorer (Jake Guentzel, 86) and the Lightning have four players with more than 60 points this season. At Colorado, MacKinnon has 28 more points than teammate Martin Necas and the Avalanche have four skaters with more than 60 points. Meanwhile, Celebrini has a 52-point advantage over his next closest teammate (Will Smith, 55) and is the only player on the Sharks roster to score more than 60 points this season.

Another statistic to capture Celebrini’s value: The Sharks have a 2-15-3 record in games where Celebrini doesn’t record a point, and they are 35-17-4 when he does record a point. In games where Celebrini scored multiple points, San Jose is 24–3–1. This team is at the bottom of the NHL standings without him.

San Jose Sharks year-to-date improvement

Heading into the 2025–26 NHL season, the Sharks were projected to have an overall over/under of 70.5, with ESPN projecting them to finish last in the Pacific Division. The team was also in the bottom five of the consensus NHL power rankings. Entering the game on April 7, San Jose is 2 points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, having scored 29 more points than last season thanks to 17 more wins. This was unimaginable in October, especially after the team started the season 0-4-2. It is still one of the youngest teams in hockey and is being run by a teenager. All this is another reason why Celebrini deserves to win the Hart Memorial Trophy.

A season for the ages: Celebrini deserves the Hart Memorial Trophy

The Hart Trophy is a regular season award; It’s a way to look back years from now to remember a defining moment of that year. Both MacKinnon and Kucherov have had excellent seasons, but what the hockey world will remember even more is that 19-year-old Celebrini put himself in the same company with the all-time greats with a historic season that turned the rebuilding Sharks into playoff contenders. Narrative matters here, and it’s impossible to ignore how valuable Celebrini has been to San Jose this season. If the Hart Memorial Trophy is truly meant to be awarded “to the player declared most valuable to his team”, it is Celebrini.

RELATED: Love the San Jose Sharks? Watch San Jose Hockey Now

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson