Macklin Celebrini isn’t waiting around for a title to tell him how to lead.
The San Jose Sharks star said a captaincy would not alter his day-to-day approach, even if the organization eventually puts the “C” on his jersey.
"I'm comfortable with myself and how I lead, and I don't think it'd really change anything in the way I approach every day and do stuff," Celebrini said when asked about potentially being named captain of the Sharks, according to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports.
That confidence tracks with the way the 20-year-old has already been handled in San Jose. He wore an alternate captain’s letter as a teenager last season, then delivered a monster year with 45 goals and 70 assists in 82 games, good enough to place fourth in Hart voting. He also captained Team Canada at the World Championships in May.
Celebrini’s place in the franchise’s future is already locked in by the massive extension he signed this past offseason: five years, $94 million, with an $18.8 million salary that stands as the largest in NHL history. Around the league, plenty of people expect that deal to be the prelude to him becoming the Sharks’ next captain.
Celebrini, though, framed the length of the contract as part of the bigger picture rather than some grand statement about leadership.
"I think five was just the right number," Celebrini added. "Just all different factors with where our team is going and having that flexibility.
We're all really excited with where we're going and what we're building. So just kind of keeping a little bit more flexibility for everyone.
It's not really a bad thing."
If San Jose does hand him the captaincy, he’d be stepping into the role once held by Logan Couture. Couture retired in 2025 after dealing with osteitis pubis and last played during the 2023-24 season, though the 37-year-old remains under contract with the Sharks through the 2026-27 campaign.
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