Macklin Celebrini isn’t talking like a player who sees himself anywhere but San Jose.
The Sharks’ young star said this week that there have been no extension talks yet with the team, but he made it clear he expects his future to stay tied to the organization. “Looking at what we have and what we’re building,” Celebrini told Sportsnet this week in an interview published on Friday. “I think we should all be excited for things to come.”
Celebrini is still under his entry-level deal for one more season, but he became eligible for an extension in April and said then that he’d be open to getting something done this summer. General manager Mike Grier has said the same.
The timing of Celebrini’s next contract sits in the middle of a bigger NHL market watch, with Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson all due for major new deals after finishing their entry-level contracts. Grier said Thursday he is not simply waiting for those negotiations to set the price.
“We haven’t had any discussions with Mack about what he’s looking for or what his number might be,” Grier said. “I’m not sure how worried he is about those other guys. He’s kind of a step above them in my view.”
When told that kind of comment could cost him some leverage in talks, Grier didn’t back away.
“We’re going to have to pay him regardless.”
Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks’ dynamic center, Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Fantilli are all restricted free agents and are expected to land huge contracts this summer. Carlsson and Fantilli are both 21.
Bedard, the No. 1 pick in 2023, turns 21 on July 17 and could end up among the NHL’s highest-paid players by average annual value. Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov currently holds that mark after signing an eight-year deal with a $17 million AAV.
Celebrini’s next contract is also expected to land well beyond Erik Karlsson’s franchise-record Sharks deal, which carries an $11.5 million cap hit and was signed in 2019.
For now, though, the exact timing and length of Celebrini’s extension remain unsettled. Grier said it may not come down to whether Bedard, Carlsson and Fantilli sign first.
“I think a lot of it’s up in the air,” Grier said of when these new deals get signed. “Talking to the other managers who have those guys, I don’t know if it’s a who blinks first type of thing. I don’t know if someone’s waiting for someone to go first or not.”
Celebrini also spoke about the roster changes around him and said it was tough to see players from last season’s team move on, including defensemen Mario Ferraro and winger William Eklund. At the same time, he said he’s encouraged by the additions of defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba and winger Mason Marchment.
He pointed too to the Sharks’ draft class, especially forward Ivar Stenberg, who has already signed an entry-level contract and looks set to be on the NHL roster this fall.
Celebrini got a firsthand look at Stenberg at the IIHF World Championship in May, and the impression stuck. “Just the way he skates and all the skills he possesses.
Just how calm and good he is with the puck. He’s also a competitor, which I love.
I think it’s going to be great for us, just the way he drives the game and wants to win.”
The roster churn has been striking enough that Collin Graf is now the Sharks’ longest-tenured player, despite being in the NHL for just over two seasons. Barclay Goodrow has played 427 games with San Jose, but this is his second stint with the club after being claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers in June 2024.
Celebrini said the turnover has taken some getting used to in his first few NHL seasons.
“It’s weird, just because it’s my first couple of years in the NHL, and I’m not really used to how much turnover there is on a team,” Celebrini said. “So, it’s really tough to lose guys like (William) Eklund and (Ryan) Reaves and (Vincent) Desharnais and (Mario) Ferraro, all those guys that left. Because you build that relationship and that friendship with them, and it’s tough to see them go.
“It’s crazy that we’re going to have a completely different team next year. But it’s also exciting, just the steps that we’re taking and how we’re all looking forward to the future.”
In Other News...
Sharks Camp Just Hinted At A Different Kind Of Rebuild
The Sharks annual prospect scrimmage offered a familiar summer look at the organizations future, with Team Thornton and Team Marleau giving coaches and management a chance to sort through young talent in a setting that matters more than the final score. Team Marleau came away with the win, but the bigger takeaway was the way several prospects made their presence felt, including Jake Gustafson, Ivar Stenberg and Alexander Karmanov as San Jose continued its camp evaluations.
For a team still trying to reshape its roster, the event fit neatly into the larger picture Mike Grier has been pushing around the rebuild. He has framed the recent free-agent additions as part of a deeper, more competitive lineup, and the scrimmage gave a first glimpse of how that vision might look when the next wave of players starts pushing for real NHL roles. The challenge now is less about identifying talent than figuring out which of these young players can help force the timeline forward. [Read more 🡒]