- ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports Celebrini’s 2026-27 captaincy is ‘all but guaranteed’
- He’d be San Jose’s first full-time captain since Logan Couture
- Read below for the $166.4M extension math that hits July 1
San Jose’s next captain isn’t much of a mystery anymore.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan wrote this week that Macklin Celebrini wearing a “C” for the Sharks in 2026-27 is “all but guaranteed,” tucked into her postseason buzz column on McDavid, Matthews and Hughes. That would make the 19-year-old San Jose’s first full-time captain since Logan Couture stepped away with a career-ending injury after six games in 2023-24.
Celebrini has spent the last 12 months collecting captaincies he isn’t supposed to have yet. Team Canada gave him the “C” at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, then re-confirmed it after Sidney Crosby joined the roster. Crosby, Ryan O’Reilly and John Tavares are all wearing an “A” while the teenager runs the room. Here’s the Hockey Canada announcement:
That decision wasn’t a courtesy nod. The players voted on it.
His on-ice case is settled. Celebrini torched the league for 45 goals, 70 assists and 115 points at age 19, breaking Joe Thornton’s franchise single-season record on April 17 in Winnipeg. He finished fourth in NHL scoring, earned a Ted Lindsay Award nomination and was voted the Sharks’ Player of the Year. The Hart Trophy snub stung, but no one inside the building is debating who the cornerstone is.
The bigger Kaplan headline is the money. Celebrini is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, and Kaplan reported the Sharks “won’t drag this out if both sides are aligned.” This is the last summer before CBA rules cap max extensions at seven years, so San Jose can offer eight at $20.8 million ($166.4 million total) before September 15. That would top Kirill Kaprizov’s $17M AAV deal from last summer as the richest contract in NHL history.
The “C” has been sitting in a drawer since Couture’s last game in March 2024. Looks like a 20-year-old gets it by training camp.
