Macklin Celebrini: Would consider discount to help Sharks

Star center Macklin Celebrini said he has considered taking less than market value on a contract extension to give the San Jose Sharks more financial flexibility to build a winner.

"Yeah, 100%. I mean, that's why all of us play. We want to win. We're competitive and we want to win," Celebrini told ESPN last week while promoting EA Sports' "NHL 27" reveal.

Celebrini, 20, is eligible to sign an extension with the Sharks this offseason. He has one more year left on his entry-level contract, which carries a salary cap hit of $975,000. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Celebrini set a Sharks franchise record with 115 points last season while finishing with the second-most goals (45) in team history.

Celebrini was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, as voted on by the NHLPA. He was named Male Player of the Year by the International Ice Hockey Federation, after tallying five goals and five assists in six games for Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was Celebrini's teammate on Team Canada and has served as a mentor for the young star. While Crosby's second NHL contract accounted for 15.34% of the salary cap when he signed it in 2007, the Penguins star took a discount on his next contract (13.53%) in 2012, keeping his cap hit ($8.7 million) low to help the Penguins maintain a winning team.

Celebrini said that Crosby's decision to take a discount wasn't lost on him during his own contract considerations.

"Obviously, guys want to get paid -- as they should, because you've got to make a living. There are guys that deserve those numbers that are getting them, but of course you want to put your team in the best spot possible where you give a team the ability to make moves necessary to win. I think all that goes into the decision," Celebrini said.

"I haven't really had many discussions about it or thought through it too much yet. Still kind of on the fence. But yeah, there's definitely a lot to think about."

The NHL's salary structure was upended this offseason when the Philadelphia Flyers signed 21-year-old Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson -- the second overall pick in 2023 behind Celebrini -- to an offer sheet, which the Ducks matched last week. Carlsson's five-year contract carries an average annual value of $18 million, which makes him the highest-paid player in the NHL next season.

Celebrini said there's been plenty of discussion among NHL players about Carlsson's contract value.

"I think that's going to start being the new normal in the NHL, those kinds of numbers with the cap going up and all that stuff," Celebrini said. "So I think obviously it was really good for him to get that number and it's also good for everyone else."

The ripples from that contract will be felt in an upcoming extension for Chicago BlackhawksConnor Bedard, 20, a restricted free agent; and whatever contract Celebrini signs with the Sharks.

Celebrini said he intends to be patient with the Sharks in this process.

"I think it's just whenever it makes sense for both sides. I still have a year left. There's no reason to rush," he said. "But yeah, I think we'll kind of see how it goes."br/]