San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini has spent time around Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid while playing for Team Canada, so perhaps it shouldn't come as a shock that he's open to following in their footsteps and taking less compensation on his next contract.
"Yeah, 100%," Celebrini told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski when asked if financial sacrifices made by Crosby and MacKinnon could lead him to do the same on his next deal. "I mean, that's why all of us play. We want to win. We're competitive and we want to win.
"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."
Crosby has been making a bargain $8.7 million per season since 2008. MacKinnon had a chance to completely reset the market when he became eligible for a new deal in 2022, but he ended up signing for $12.6 million annually - just $100,000 more than the league's next-highest-paid player at the time. McDavid also notably did the Edmonton Oilers a huge favor by not taking a raise on his last contact, instead signing a two-year extension in 2025 with a $12.5-million average annual value.
Celebrini has one more year left on his entry-level contract. He's been eligible to sign an extension since July 1 but said that he's in no rush to get a deal done.
"I think it's just whenever it makes sense for both sides," Celebrini said. "I still have a year left. There's no reason to rush. But yeah, I think we'll kind of see how it goes."
Celebrini could realistically command an AAV of $20 million or more, considering the NHL's skyrocketing salary cap. Leo Carlsson, who's coming off a breakout 67-point season, became the NHL's highest-paid player ($18-million AAV) when the Philadelphia Flyers signed him to a five-year, $90-million offer sheet, which the Anaheim Ducks matched Thursday.
Celebrini, who turned 20 years old in June, is coming off a ridiculous sophomore campaign in which he finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting after racking up 115 points in 82 games. He was named the NHL 27 cover athlete Tuesday.
