Macklin Celebrini gets 5-year, $94M extension from the Sharks in the NHL's richest deal ever - NBC Sports

What the report says

NBCSports.com, carrying an Associated Press report, says the San Jose Sharks have signed Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million contract extension, a deal described as the richest in NHL history. The agreement was announced Wednesday in San Jose, Calif., and runs through the 2031-32 season. Celebrini still had one season left on his entry-level contract, which was worth $2.925 million over three years.

The extension carries an average annual value of $18.8 million, according to the report, surpassing the $18 million annual figure in Leo Carlsson’s five-year deal after Anaheim matched an offer sheet from Philadelphia. The AP reported that Celebrini reached the agreement with Sharks general manager Mike Grier and owner Hasso Plattner. In a team statement, Celebrini said he was pleased to commit long term and pointed to the organization’s support and its goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to San Jose.

Celebrini, who turned 20 in June, was selected first overall by the Sharks in 2024 and has quickly become the franchise’s centerpiece. NBCSports/AP reported that he produced 45 goals and 70 assists last season, with his 115 points setting a Sharks single-season record previously held by Joe Thornton. The report also noted that his point total ranked behind only Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby for players before turning 20, and that he led Olympic goal scorers while helping Canada win silver.

The signing matters because it gives San Jose long-term control of one of the league’s top young players as the club tries to end a prolonged postseason drought. Despite a 34-point improvement last season, the Sharks missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year, finishing four points short.