Celebrini all – Macklin Celebrini’s breakout season has turned him into a franchise focal point in San Jose, and a new rumor now points to the next step: being named the Sharks’ next captain ahead of the 2026-27 season, with an extension conversation expected to move quickly
Macklin Celebrini didn’t just arrive in the NHL and blend in. In a single season, he went from “ultra-talented rookie” to the kind of franchise centerpiece teams build around—so much so that the San Jose Sharks now look like they may be preparing to give him the C.
San Jose missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a seventh consecutive year. but Celebrini still stamped his name all over the league’s next era. Over a full 82-game schedule in 2025-26. he scored 45 goals and totaled 115 points. creating the kind of Hart Trophy buzz that doesn’t usually come around for young players unless they’re truly putting up superstar numbers.
The momentum didn’t stop outside North America either. Celebrini played a major role for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan. helping his country capture a silver medal. Then. at the IIHF World Championship. the 19-year-old is currently captaining Canada—and he delivered the game that mattered most in the quarterfinal against the defending champion United States. scoring the game-winning goal.
That captaincy trend, both in international play and now being talked up in San Jose, is exactly what’s driving the new expectation: according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Celebrini is “all but guaranteed” to become the Sharks’ next captain ahead of the 2026-27 season.
If that happens, it will be a major shift for the franchise. It would also mean he becomes San Jose’s first captain since Logan Couture.
There’s a deadline looming as well. Celebrini is eligible to sign a long-term contract extension on July 1. and Kaplan reported the Sharks are expected to move quickly on a mammoth deal—especially because this is the last offseason before the new CBA changes the maximum extension length. The reported negotiation is already being framed as franchise-defining.
Kaplan wrote: “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.”
The money and the structure being discussed are specific. Kaplan also reported that because it’s 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.
That total would surpass Kirill Kaprizov’s $136 million deal from last offseason, which carries a $17 million AAV.
Put together. the facts form a straightforward story: Celebrini’s on-ice production in 2025-26. his captain’s role with Canada at the IIHF World Championship (including a quarterfinal game-winner against the defending champion United States). and the expectation that San Jose wants to lock in its identity all at once. Even the Sharks’ long playoff drought makes the timing feel sharper—because when a player like this emerges. the decision stops being abstract.
For the fans. the idea is simple: Celebrini is already the face of the Sharks franchise. and the rumor suggests the organization may soon give him the official symbol to match what he’s already become. If the extension moves quickly after July 1 and the captaincy call comes ahead of 2026-27. his path from standout rookie to the man wearing the C won’t be a matter of hype—it will be business settled on the ice and in the front office.
Macklin Celebrini San Jose Sharks NHL captain Logan Couture Hart Trophy Team Canada IIHF World Championship Milan Winter Olympics United States quarterfinal contract extension July 1 Emily Kaplan