After a stellar second season, star San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has signed a five-year contract extension worth a total of $94 million, general manager Mike Grier announced Wednesday.
The $18.8 million average annual value on the extension, which begins with the 2027-28 season and runs through 2031-32, will make Celebrini the highest-paid player in the NHL.
"We wanted to make sure Mack felt valued here and he was compensated fairly," Grier said. "In our eyes, he's the best young player in the league. So we felt like we wanted to pay him an amount that was commiserate with that. He was willing to take a little bit less to leave us some flexibility, so we can keep building out the roster as we go along."
The No. 1 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. He was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, as voted on by the NHL Players Association.
"I couldn't be happier to sign an extension today," Celebrini said in a statement. "The faith and support that (owner) Mr. (Hasso) Plattner, Mike Grier and the entire staff have shown me throughout the past two seasons is proof that we are building something special here. My teammates and I are ready to take another step toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to this city and its incredible fans. I can't wait to get going."
Celebrini could have signed a deal worth up to about $20.8 million a year, and Grier said Plattner was willing to pay that much if necessary. But Celebrini made clear early in the negotiations that he was willing to take a little less to make sure the Sharks had the flexibility to build a championship roster around him.
"That meant a lot to me," Grier said. "He showed his faith and his commitment to the organization, and him wanting to be here and be successful here. It was pretty important and pretty cool for me to hear that from such a young player having that maturity."
The Sharks took a leap up the standings in 2025-26, improving by 19 wins and 34 points, though that still wasn't enough to end a playoff drought that stretches back to 2018-19.
"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," Grier said 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.
"... "I also want to thank Hasso Plattner for his continued commitment and steadfast dedication to providing the financial resources to put the best team possible on the ice for our passionate fans, who deserve a winner in San Jose."
Grier said he had no hesitation giving a young player like Celebrini so much money, saying he followed advice he got from his late father, Bobby, and brother, Chris, who were both longtime executives in the NFL.
"If you're going to do a long-term extension with someone and pay them a lot of money, you've got to bet on the person first and foremost," Grier said. "In this case, I think you couldn't bet on a better kid than Mack. If it does anything, it'll motivate him just to be even better than he already is. But I don't think it will change him at all."
Celebrini has 178 points (70 goals, 108 assists) in 152 games with the Sharks. He was also the leading goal scorer (5) at the Milan Cortina Olympics as part of Team Canada's silver-medal-winning roster.
His 115 points in 2025-26 were the third most by a teenager in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky's 137 in 1979-80 and Sidney Crosby's 120 in 2006-07, according to ESPN Research.
Celebrini is part of a strong young core in San Jose alongside fellow promising players such as Michael Misa, Will Smith, Igor Chernyshov and Sam Dickinson. The Sharks added even more young talent this offseason with three first-round picks headlined by Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 overall. They also added North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 and WHL Vancouver playmaking defenseman Ryan Lin at No. 21.
Grier also brought in veteran reinforcements at the start of the offseason, trading for defenseman Darnell Nurse and signing defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment.
Information from ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and The Associated Press was used in this report.