Macklin Celebrini Signs $94M Sharks Contract Extension to Become NHL's Highest-Paid Player - bleacherreport.com

What the report says

Bleacher Report reported that the San Jose Sharks and forward Macklin Celebrini have agreed to a five-year, $94 million contract extension, with the team announcing the deal Wednesday. The agreement carries an average annual value of $18.8 million, which Bleacher Report described as the largest yearly salary in NHL history.

Celebrini, 20, had been entering the 2026-27 season in the last year of his entry-level contract and was projected to become a restricted free agent in 2027. The new deal is set to keep him with San Jose through the 2031-32 season, while positioning him to reach unrestricted free agency before his age-26 campaign.

The extension follows a standout age-19 season in which Celebrini recorded 45 goals and 115 points over 82 games, according to the report. Bleacher Report said those totals tied him for fourth in goals, ranked him fourth in points among NHL skaters, set a Sharks single-season points record and made him the first teenager since Sidney Crosby to reach 100 points in a season. He also finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting as San Jose improved from last in the league to within four points of a playoff berth.

The deal is significant for a Sharks franchise trying to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019. Bleacher Report noted that the salary cap is expected to rise to $113.5 million before 2027-28, which could help San Jose manage Celebrini’s contract alongside other long-term commitments and future extension decisions involving its young forwards.