{"id":466167,"date":"2026-02-21T22:39:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T22:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/466167\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T22:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T22:39:22","slug":"macklin-celebrini-is-already-attracting-star-players-to-san-jose-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/466167\/","title":{"rendered":"Macklin Celebrini is Already Attracting Star Players to San Jose"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macklin Celebrini has taken the hockey world by storm in 2025\u201326, and he is somehow only continuing to get better with every passing game. What he\u2019s done at the NHL level so far has been amazing enough, but when you factor in how dominant he\u2019s looked as a teenager at his first Olympic Games<\/a>, everyone is starting to realize something very special is brewing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been six straight seasons without playoff hockey for the San Jose Sharks \u2014 and it would become seven if they miss this year \u2014 but with Celebrini in the fold, the vibes around the organization are as high as they\u2019ve been in a long time. As a result, star players around the league have started to take notice.<\/p>\n

Former NHLer, now analyst, Mike Rupp spoke about Artemi Panarin having been willing to go to San Jose and sign an extension as a precursor for what could be to come.<\/p>\n

Rupp said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cSo let me just throw this out there too, because the conversations with the whole Panarin where he was going to go. That was a destination that I believe Artemi Panarin and his camp were thinking about. If Macklin Celebrini\u2019s not there or to this level, do you think Artemi Panarin\u2019s considering going to San Jose and signing an extension? So this is just an example \u2014 they\u2019re going to start getting more and more shine, with players going there via free agency or whatever the circumstances are,\u201d<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old Celebrini is second in scoring at the Olympics with 10 points (five goals, five assists) through five games. He\u2019s, of course, been just as good in San Jose this year, having racked up 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) in just 55 games.<\/p>\n

Panarin Won\u2019t Be the Last to Want to Join Macklin Celebrini<\/p>\n

When all was said and done, Panarin wound up going to the rival Los Angeles Kings, but the fact that the San Jose Sharks were even in consideration for a player of that caliber just goes to show how things are starting to turn.<\/p>\n

\"PanarinPanarin would have liked to join Celebrini and the Sharks<\/p>\n

Watching Celebrini play like he truly belongs alongside some of the best players in the world has opened eyes. The rest of the NHL will have to reckon with San Jose becoming a powerhouse on and off the ice sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s free agent class has thinned out in a big way, but not too far down the road, the likes of Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Zach Werenski, among others, could hit the open market \u2014 with the Sharks as well positioned as anyone<\/a> to pry them away from their current teams.<\/p>\n

Everyone knew Celebrini was going to go first overall in 2024, but the hype wasn\u2019t even close to that of McDavid, Sidney Crosby, or even Connor Bedard \u2014 and looking back now, that feels foolish, because as Jon Cooper recently said, he\u2019s generational<\/a>, and this is only just the start.<\/p>\n

Next: Impressive Olympics Boosts Stock of Potential Oilers Trade Target<\/a><\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from NHL Trade Talk<\/p>\n

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