Macklin Celebrini says he would be willing to take less money on his next contract if it means giving his team, the San Jose Sharks, more room to improve.

The 20-year-old center made the comments in an interview with ESPN this week. It was published along with an announcement that he will appear on the cover of EA Sports' "NHL 27.”

He was asked whether the financial sacrifices made by Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon could influence his own approach. Celebrini did not hesitate to answer, 

"Yeah, 100%," he said as per an article from ESPN. "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."

Celebrini is now entering the last season of his three-year, $2.93 million entry-level contract, which is known to carry a $975,000 cap hit. He has actually been eligible to sign an extension with San Jose since July 1.

"There are guys who 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 the moves necessary to win,” he added.

Crosby has signed three consecutive extensions with Pittsburgh at an annual value of $8.7 million. He tried to deliberately keep his cap hit lower than his production to help the Penguins stay competitive. MacKinnon, meanwhile, signed for $12.6 million a year in 2022, even if he could have asked for more. 

Celebrini played with both players on Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, this was where the team won silver,

His comments come shortly after Leo Carlsson's new deal with the Anaheim Ducks, which carries an annual value of $18 million. It completely reset the expectations for young players across the league. 

Celebrini's clarity comes in right after going through a strong performance in his second NHL season.

Celebrini’s record-breaking sophomore season

The Sharks center set a team record with 115 points, including 45 goals, across 82 games in 2025-26. 

He even finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting and earned a finalist nod for the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHLPA's most outstanding player. Celebrini was later named the IIHF's Male Player of the Year for the season, per NHL.com.

Celebrini also helped Canada to get a silver medal at the Winter Olympics. He led the tournament with five goals in six games. As the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, he has recorded 178 points across 152 career games entering his third NHL season. 

Whatever number Celebrini and the Sharks eventually agree on, his comments clearly explain that his goals align with the team’s priorities. With another season still left to play before a new deal needs to be finalized, San Jose heads into next season with its player publicly putting the team’s success first.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar