Toronto radio personality Sid Seixeiro shared his strong take on Macklin Celebrini after the young star signed a massive contract extension with the San Jose Sharks.
On Wednesday, Celebrini inked a five-year, $94 million deal with the Sharks. The contract carries an AAV of $18.8 million, making him the highest-paid player in the NHL next season.
On his show, Seixeiro suggested the Sharks should avoid naming Celebrini captain right away, arguing it would add unnecessary pressure on the young centre following the big-money deal.
“Somebody’s got to cut the BS and say you’re the guy. Just don’t make him the captain. Do yourself a favor. Don’t make him the captain. That’s so dumb,” Seixeiro said.
Sid added:
“I think in the National Hockey League, your true captains lead you to things. I’m not willing to say Celebrini was hands down the most important player at the Olympics. All I’m saying is we don’t know how the kid’s going to respond to this contract. He’s now the highest-paid player in the league starting next season.”
Following his extension, Celebrini overtakes Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks as the highest-paid player in the league. Carlsson had previously held that distinction after the Anaheim Ducks matched the Flyers’ five-year, $18 million AAV offer sheet.
GM Mike Grier praises Macklin Celebrini for taking less than max in extension
San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier was impressed by Macklin Celebrini’s approach to the contract negotiations, noting the young star’s willingness to leave money on the table for the team’s future flexibility.
“Happy to hear it, and very grateful. He would have every right to ask for the full max,” said Grier. “But for him to come out right away and kind of tell us that he wanted to make sure we had some flexibility down the road, and he wasn’t looking to take the max amount of money he could. So that meant a lot to me.
He added that Celebrini’s decision showed leadership and commitment to the team:
“He showed his faith and his commitment to the organization, and his wanting to be here and be successful here. It was pretty important and pretty cool for me to hear that from such a young player having that maturity.”
Macklin Celebrini had an outstanding season with the Sharks, accumulating 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games during just his sophomore year with the team.
Edited by Abhishek Dilta