Macklin Celebrini is now sitting at the top of the NHL pay scale.
The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday that they’ve locked up Celebrini on a five-year extension worth $94 million, a deal that gives him an average annual salary of $18.8 million. That number sets a new league record.
The previous high-water mark belonged to Kirill Kaprizov, whose Minnesota Wild contract pays him $17 million per year. Kaprizov’s deal runs eight years and carries a total value of $136 million, so while Celebrini now owns the biggest annual salary in NHL history, he does not top the league in overall contract value.
The length of Celebrini’s deal is the detail that stands out most. He chose five years instead of eight, which means the timeline for his next contract arrives sooner than it would have otherwise. With the salary cap expected to keep climbing, that decision could put him in position to cash in again down the road.
For now, though, the Sharks have exactly what they wanted: one of the NHL’s best players committed for the next half-decade.
Celebrini’s agent, Pat Brisson, said in the press release announcing the contract:
"From our very first conversation, it was clear that Mike and Mr. Plattner were fully committed to Macklin’s future in San Jose. Macklin is not only an exceptional player, but also an outstanding person, and we’re proud to support him as he continues his journey with the Sharks.”
Celebrini has already drawn huge praise from his Team Canada teammates, who have said he might be the best player in the world right now. If he isn’t there yet, the contract is another sign of where this is headed.
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John Klingbergs run in San Jose appears to have put him back on the board as a legitimate free-agent option, and that alone makes this a notable summer development for Sharks fans. After a solid season in teal, the veteran defenseman is now free to choose his next stop, with his market shaped by both his production and the kind of role he still wants at this stage of his career.
The tricky part for San Jose is that the interest around Klingberg does not sound like it will be limited to one type of team. Clubs with different timelines and different cap situations are all in the mix, which means the Sharks could be watching a player they just had settle into a new home move on again before long. What he values most in his next contract will go a long way toward determining whether San Jose gets another year of stability from him or has to start over on the blue line. [Read more 🡒]
Another Young Star Just Framed Celebrini Like A Franchise Force
Macklin Celebrinis offseason work in Vancouver left a strong impression on Gavin McKenna, who came away talking about the Sharks center as more than just a rising star. McKenna praised Celebrinis intensity and competitiveness in their training sessions, saying the young San Jose cornerstone pushed him to improve both on the ice and in the day-to-day grind that comes with a serious summer workout.
For Sharks fans, it is another reminder that Celebrinis reputation is already stretching well beyond San Jose. McKenna even described one stretch of training as a marathon of ice time, and the kind of commitment he saw helps explain why Celebrini is being framed like a franchise force before he has even settled into the next phase of his career. [Read more 🡒]