Macklin Celebrini is not just the best young player in the NHL, but already one of the best players in the world.
His first two seasons with the San Jose Sharks have been nothing short of spectacular, and with the salary cap rising and a new contract soon needed, many believe he will become the highest-paid player in hockey.
While that still may happen, Celebrini recently spoke with Greg Wyshynski of ESPN and said he’d be willing to consider taking a discount in order to help San Jose build a championship roster around him.
“Yeah, 100%. I mean, that’s why all of us play. We want to win. We’re competitive and we want to win. Obviously, guys want to get paid — as they should, because you’ve got to make a living. There are guys that deserve those numbers that are getting them, but of course you want to put your team in the best spot possible where you give a team the ability to make moves necessary to win. I think all that goes into the decision.
I haven’t really had many discussions about it or thought through it too much yet. Still kind of on the fence. But yeah, there’s definitely a lot to think about,”
The 20-year-old Celebrini is set to enter the third and final year of the three-year, $2.95 million entry-level contract he signed with the Sharks after being selected first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. He racked up 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games last season.
As if Celebrini wasn’t already likeable enough, comments like this only add to it. Regardless of what he decides, the superstar center is going to make massive money on his next deal, so it’s understandable why he may be willing to sacrifice a slice of that for the betterment of his team.
It would be a similar move to the one his idol, Sidney Crosby, has made throughout his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, consistently signing for $8.7 million despite changes in the salary cap landscape.
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