Macklin Celebrini didn’t hesitate when asked which captain stood tallest in his mind.
“He’s the captain of all captains.”
That was Celebrini’s description of Sidney Crosby, a player the San Jose Sharks captain grew up watching while Crosby led Team Canada and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The comment came during a sitdown with Natalie Noury, the new host of “Sharks Pregame” and “Postgame Live,” in an interview released Monday.
Noury asked Celebrini about the captains who left an impression on him as a kid, and the conversation also touched on his last season. Celebrini talked about representing Canada internationally, setting the Sharks’ single-season points record, and the anticipation he feels heading into the next year.
Warsofsky also sat down with Noury in a separate interview released Monday. The Sharks head coach discussed the offseason, his own growth, and what he expects from the team. He also said this is the first time in his head coaching career that almost every player arrived within three weeks of the start of training camp, giving the group a chance to skate together before the season begins.
Elsewhere around the Sharks, the team’s new opening night roster has made the projected lines clearer, and Kiefer Sherwood fits into what has been described as a more “in-your-face” identity. PWHL San Jose season tickets are now officially on sale, too.
There was also news away from the ice. Matt Nieto announced his retirement from hockey, and Randy Hahn paid tribute to “the Long Beach native”.
Another recent Sharks feature went deeper into Rick Celebrini’s relationship with his children now, along with the friendship between Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, in part two of Brodie Brazil’s interview with Rick Celebrini.
On the business side, there’s been a look at the Sharks’ salary cap situation, and one report said the Toronto Maple Leafs dangled Matthew Knies for the Sharks’ 2026 No. 2 pick.
In women’s hockey, the PWHL announced home openers for all 12 teams. PWHL San Jose will open at SAP Center on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.
PT against the Minnesota Frost. The full schedule is set to be released Oct. 2, and Hockey Night in Canada will return to broadcast PWHL games.
Around the league, the NHL is trying to humanize its players as it works to reach new fans, with the first look featuring Celebrini, Matthew Schaefer, and Cole Caufield. The new season is also bringing plenty of chatter elsewhere, from award predictions to bold forecasts, a difficult stretch ahead for the Pittsburgh Penguins, fresh details on the Colorado Avalanche’s two new jerseys, and an ongoing dispute involving ASU hockey players and the school’s review of Matthew Mayich’s collapse.
And one more note from the league: there’s been a major trade buzz, with the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs striking a deal that includes Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko among the players involved.
In Other News...
Sharks Opening Night Roster Leaves One Big Lineup Question
The Sharks have set their opening-night roster, and the group comes into the season carrying the usual blend of certainty and late decisions that tend to follow a long camp. San Jose is carrying 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies, and the initial picture got a small jolt when Brett Leason was added to the roster as Adam Gaudette went on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky also addressed where things stand for the opener, and the answer still leaves at least one part of the lineup unsettled. The forward group has some clarity, but one of the remaining defense spots is still being sorted out, keeping a bit of suspense around how the Sharks will line up when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Face A Bigger Alexander Nikishin Problem Than Fans Realized
The Carolina Hurricanes and restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin are still sorting through a contract situation that has turned into one of the quieter but more notable stories around the club. Nikishin recently changed agents to Paul Theefanous, and with his next step still unsettled, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said both sides are handling the matter privately as they try to figure out how to proceed.
There is now a real sense that this is not just a routine negotiation but a process with some friction attached, especially after reports that Nikishin has requested a trade. For a team that would prefer clarity on a player with his profile, the timing only adds to the uncertainty, and this may not be the kind of issue that gets neatly wrapped up anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Playoff Hopes Already Rest On One Early Fix
The early return to the NHL season has not been kind to the Sharks, who opened 2025-26 with five straight losses and, once again, found themselves trying to dig out of a hole before the schedule even had a chance to settle. It is becoming a familiar problem in San Jose, where slow starts have now stretched across the last four years, leaving little margin for a roster that is still trying to grow up around its younger core.
Ryan Warsofskys team does have some reasons for optimism, including a young lineup and a few veteran additions on defense, but the bigger concern is still the same one that has haunted this group for seasons: keeping the puck out of its own net. The defensive depth remains a question, and after another rough opening stretch, the Sharks do not have much room to let those issues linger if they want any chance of hanging around the playoff race. [Read more 🡒]