Sharks' Macklin Celebrini becomes NHL's highest-paid player with 5-year, $94M extension

(Geoff Stellfox via Getty Images)The San Jose Sharks have signed center Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million extension, the team announced on Wednesday.Celebrini's $18.8 million average annual value will become the highest in the NHL once the deal kicks in beginning with the 2027-28 season. It will surpass the $18 million per season that Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks will earn after the Ducks matched an offer sheet he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this month."In just two seasons as a teenager in the National Hockey League and on the International stage, Macklin has established himself as one of the premier players in the world," said Sharks general manager Mike Grier in a statement. "We are extremely excited to have him secured and committed as the centerpiece of a core of talented players in San Jose."As we continue our goal of building a team capable of annually competing for the Stanley Cup, we want to thank Macklin and his representatives for a respectful negotiation process, and acknowledge the flexibility they have provided to the team in how we allocate future dollars towards the team being constructed around Macklin."The deal allows the Sharks to buy one year of unrestricted free agency for Celebrini, who could hit the market as a 26-year-old in the summer of 2032.The 20-year-old Celebrini is entering his third NHL season and is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him finish fourth in scoring with a career-high 45 goals and 115 points. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft was also the youngest NHL player to ever play for the Canadian Olympic team. Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal game in Milan-Cortina this past February to earn silver.Celebrini, whose father is the Golden State Warriors' director of sports medicine and performance, finished fourth in voting this past season for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the league's most valuable player.Earlier this month Celebrini was announced as the newest cover athlete for the EA Sports video game NHL 27.