Examining what a potential Macklin Celebrini contract extension could look like originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Macklin Celebrini is spoken of in the same breath as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
And now, he’s going to get paid like them.
The 19-year-old is coming off a remarkable second NHL campaign, setting a Sharks franchise record for single-season points with 115. He was a Ted Lindsay Award finalist for most outstanding player as voted on by the NHLPA, and he will also likely finish in the top-five in Hart Trophy voting for most valuable player.
Celebrini spearheaded a 34-point improvement in the standings, dragging the Sharks from the worst team in the NHL in 2024-25 to playoff contention until the last week of this season.
All this came in the second year of his entry-level contract, an almost unprecedented level of success for a sophomore teenage player.
This July 1, Celebrini is eligible to sign a massive contract extension. What will it look like?
Two NHL player agents, neither with Celebrini’s camp, shared their thoughts, too.
Crosby and McDavid’s second contracts, among a handful of others, should be comparisons for Celebrini’s upcoming deal.
The following are second contracts signed during or in the offseason before a player’s third campaign. There’s one number that stands out in these five massive deals:
Sidney Crosby
Crosby, coming off the Hart Trophy and Lindsay Award in the 2006-07 NHL season, inked a five-year, $43.5 million contract on July 7, 2007.
That $8.7 million AAV represented 15.34 percent of the salary cap at the time.
Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin, coming off a 46-goal second season and in the midst of a 65-goal third year, signed a 13-year, $124 million contract on January 10, 2008.
That $9.54 million AAV represented 16.82 percent of the cap.
Evgeni Malkin
Malkin, coming off a Hart Trophy runner-up campaign in 2007-08, followed his Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Crosby’s example, agreeing to an identical five-year, $43.5 million contract on July 2, 2008.
That $8.7 million AAV represented 15.32 percent of the cap.
Connor McDavid
McDavid, coming off a sophomore Hart and Lindsay-winning campaign, inked an eight-year, $100 million contract on July 5, 2017.
That $12.5 million AAV represented 15.72 percent of the cap.
Auston Matthews
Matthews, coming off a season with 34 goals in 62 games, signed a five-year, $58.2 million contract on February 5, 2019.
That $11.64 million AAV represented 14.27 percent of the cap.
While these five franchise player comparisons span from 2007 to now, the common number that stands out is the percentage of the salary cap at the time — ranging from 14.27 percent on Matthews’s shorter extension to 16.82 for Ovechkin’s now-outlawed 13-year agreement.
It’s also worth noting, three of these five comps were inked right after July 1. Ovechkin and Matthews signed in the midst of their third seasons.
The newly-ratified NHL CBA, which takes effect this coming September, also could limit Celebrini’s second contract: He still can sign a maximum eight-year deal this offseason, but if he doesn’t, the maximum contract length drops to seven years.
“I wouldn’t sign eight years,” Agent No. 1 said.
Agent No. 2 agreed.
The salary cap is skyrocketing, from $95.5 million in 2025-26 to $104 million in 2026-27 and a projected $113.5 million in 2027-28. The thought is that the cap will keep booming.
Celebrini likely would be leaving money on the table if he signs an eight-year extension now.
Agent No. 2 suggested a five-year Celebrini extension now in the $15 million AAV range. That figure represents 14.42 percent of the upcoming $104 million cap.
And what if Celebrini agreed to an eight-year extension this summer? Keep in mind, the more years, the higher the AAV.
Would an eight-year, $128 million extension be about right? A $16 million AAV represents 15.4 percent of the 2026-27 NHL salary cap.
Either way, Celebrini is about to join hockey royalty in another manner.
Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast
