{"id":555378,"date":"2026-04-18T16:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555378\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T16:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:42:27","slug":"nhl-rumors-insider-sheds-light-on-looming-macklin-celebrini-contract-extension-talks-for-sj-sharks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/555378\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumors: Insider Sheds Light on Looming Macklin Celebrini Contract Extension Talks for SJ Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Jose Sharks<\/a> have one of the best players in the NHL right now in 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini. Coming off a record-breaking season where he nearly carried the team into the playoffs, it appears the phenom will get rewarded with a new deal this summer.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of Sportsnet\u2019s 32 Thoughts<\/a>, insider Elliotte Friedman said San Jose will be proactive regarding extension talks with Celebrini once he\u2019s eligible. He does not anticipate Celebrini\u2019s camp being on board with a long-term deal for seven to eight years, but a four-year deal is also unlikely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they go at it hard. To me, the question is not so much the number, it\u2019s the term. I can\u2019t see him or his representatives\u2026I can\u2019t see them wanting to go eight years or seven years.:<\/p>\n

Elliotte Friedman on Macklin Celebrini contract extension talks for the San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Related: Agents Reveal Potential Cost of Macklin Celebrini Contract Extension<\/a><\/p>\n

Macklin Celebrini contract (PuckPedia<\/a>): $975,000 cap hit (2026-27), RFA in 2027<\/p>\n

Friedman went on to note that an extension could be for three or five years. A three-year extension would lead up to the final year before Celebrini is an unrestricted free agent. Alternatively, a five-year contract would effectively buy out the first year he\u2019s eligible for NHL free agency as an unrestricted free agent.<\/p>\n

What the two sides must figure out is how to strike the right balance between giving Celebrini a salary that reflects his value to the franchise while also having it at a point that allows the front office to build a great team around the face of the franchise.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Why Macklin Celebrini Deserves the Hart Trophy<\/a><\/p>\n

Macklin Celebrini stats (2025-26<\/a>): 115 points (70 assists, 45 goals), 8 power-play goals, 25 power-play assists<\/p>\n

Based on informed speculation from agents who spoke to The Athletic, a three-year extension could land anywhere in the ballpark of $10 million to $12 million per season. If the two sides could agree to a five-year pact, then the average annual value of said deal could be closer to $14 million to $15 million.<\/p>\n

At the very least, a contract extension seems likely to happen sometime this summer after Celebrini is first eligible on July 1. Once that matter is settled, the Sharks will have a much clearer picture of their long-term financial flexibility and how they can go about strengthening their defense in the years to come.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Love the San Jose Sharks? Check Out San Jose Hockey Now<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tMatt Johnson is Senior Editor of NFL and College Football for Sportsnaut. His work, including weekly NFL and college … More about Matt Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Jose Sharks have one of the best players in the NHL right now in 19-year-old Macklin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5127],"tags":[5,4,519,168,5306,5305,1780],"class_list":{"0":"post-555378","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose-sharks","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-san-jose","11":"tag-san-jose-sharks","12":"tag-sanjose","13":"tag-sanjosesharks","14":"tag-sharks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116426714275455136","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}