The Sharks have signed star center Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million contract extension, setting an NHL record for average annual value at $18.8 million.
Less than three weeks after the Ducks matched a Flyers offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, and will pay the center an AAV of $18 million, San Jose beat the mark by nearly $1 million per year with Celebrini, who just turned 20 last month. The new contract terms begin with the 2027–28 season and run through the 2031–32 campaign.
Celebrini, a key part of a rising youth movement across the league, was due to become a restricted free agent after the 2026–27 season, but was already eligible to sign an extension with the Sharks. Within that structure, Celebrini was well positioned to surpass Carlsson’s financial figures, since he scored 115 points last season, ranking fourth in the league, to Carlsson’s 67, and is nearly 18 months younger.
That scoring total for Celebrini was also the third best in a single season by a teenager in NHL history, trailing only prior tallies by Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. The Canadian team in the recent 2026 Winter Olympics that won a silver medal additionally included Celebrini. (Carlsson was set to play for Sweden, but did not participate due to injury.)
