Macklin Celebrini just signed a record-setting extension that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL…and it’s perfectly reasonable.
It also sets a clock for San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier.
The Sharks announced on Wednesday morning that their 20-year-old superstar had inked a five-year, $94 million extension. That $18.8 million AAV kicks in during the 2027-28 season and is the highest AAV ever signed in NHL history.
“I think both sides were eager to try and get something done as quickly as possible,” the San Jose Sharks GM said on Wednesday afternoon, on not letting Celebrini get to next off-season unsigned. “Mack’s pretty dialed in and wants to just work and train and prepare himself the best he can for the season. I don’t think he really wanted to go into the year or into training camp having any distractions or anything like that.”
These are unprecedented numbers, but not so surprising, if you’ve followed the rise of the upper limit of the league’s salary cap.