Celebrini would consider taking discount on next contract with Sharks, star says

Sidney Crosby appears to be rubbing off on Macklin Celebrini both on and off the ice.

Celebrini said he’s considered giving the San Jose Sharks a discount on his next contract, partially because that’s what his Team Canada teammates Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon did for their teams.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” Celebrini told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski when asked if Crosby and MacKinnon taking less money could influence him to do the same. “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 signed three straight deals with the Pittsburgh Penguins with an AAV of just $8.7 million per season, well below what he’d be worth on the open market. MacKinnon signed for $12.6 million per season in 2022 despite having a chance to completely reset the market.

That now appears to be influencing the 20-year-old Celebrini, who will play the 2026-27 season on the final year of his entry-level contract. He became eligible to sign an extension with the Sharks on July 1, but the North Vancouver, B.C. native said he’s in no rush to get a deal done.

“I think it’s just whenever it makes sense for both sides,” Celebrini told Wyshynski. “I still have a year left. There’s no reason to rush. But yeah, I think we’ll kind of see how it goes.”

With Celebrini coming off a season where he finished third in Hart Trophy Voting, a rising salary cap and Leo Carlsson recently signing for $18 million per season, Celebrini could reasonably demand a record-setting contract.

But it looks like providing the Sharks with more financial flexibility to build a roster with Stanley Cup potential could be more important to the young superstar.

Celebrini, who just turned 20 in June, is coming off a 115-point season in 2025-26, posting 45 goals and 70 assists over 82 games.

His historic year saw him join an exclusive list of teenagers who scored 100 points in an NHL season, joining Wayne Gretzky, Crosby (who did it twice), Mario Lemieux, Dale Hawerchuk and Jimmy Carson.