Celebrini signs 5-year, $94 million contract with Sharks - NHL.com

Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million contract with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, carrying an average annual value of $18.8 million.
The deal makes the 20-year-old forward the NHL's highest-paid player per season, surpassing Anaheim's Leo Carlsson, whose $18 million average followed the Ducks matching a Philadelphia Flyers offer sheet on July 9.
Celebrini was entering the final season of an entry-level contract signed July 6, 2024, and could have become a restricted free agent; he set the Sharks' single-season record with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) across all 82 games in 2025-26, ranking fourth in the NHL in points.
The Sharks improved to 39-35-8 (86 points) after finishing with league lows of 20 wins and 52 points the prior season, marking the second-biggest single-season jump in wins and points in franchise history, though they missed the playoffs for a seventh straight year, four points behind the Los Angeles Kings.
San Jose leaned heavily on Celebrini's production, going 26-6-2 when he scored and 26-3-2 in his multipoint games, underscoring his central role in the roster.
General manager Mike Grier said the Carlsson offer sheet reshaped the NHL's salary landscape but credited Celebrini with offering flexibility, noting the club would have preferred an eight-year term while remaining pleased with the five-year commitment.