Sharks rumors: Macklin Celebrini destined for captaincy, says insider

Macklin Celebrini went from ultra-talented rookie to bonafide franchise cornerstone in the span of one season, earning legitimate Hart Trophy buzz throughout the 2025-26 campaign.

Although his San Jose Sharks missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a seventh consecutive year, Celebrini established himself as one of the NHL’s brightest young superstars, exploding for 45 goals and 115 points across a full 82-game schedule.

He also impressed on the international stage, playing a major role for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan and helping his country capture a silver medal.

The 19-year-old is currently captaining Canada at the IIHF World Championship and scored the game-winning goal in the quarterfinal against the defending champion United States.

Now, another major honor appears to be on the horizon.

According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Celebrini is “all but guaranteed” to become San Jose’s next captain ahead of the 2026-27 season, which would make him the franchise’s first captain since Logan Couture.

Celebrini is also eligible to sign a long-term contract extension on July 1, and Kaplan reported that the Sharks are expected to move quickly on a new deal.

“Macklin Celebrini is eligible to sign an extension July 1, and the expectation is the Sharks won’t drag this out if both sides are aligned. This is a franchise-defining negotiation,” Kaplan wrote.

“Because this is the last offseason before the new CBA changes max extension length, Celebrini can sign an eight-year deal if it’s registered before Sept. 15. NHL contracts are capped at 20% of the salary cap, meaning the Sharks can offer Celebrini eight years by $20.8 million for $166.4 million total, which would surpass Kaprizov’s $136 million ($17 million AAV) deal from last offseason.”

It sounds outrageous, but Celebrini has already shown signs of becoming a generational talent capable of returning San Jose to consistent Stanley Cup contention.

He’s already the face of the Sharks franchise, and soon enough, he’ll officially have the ‘C’ on his chest to prove it.

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