San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini reacted to the massive new contract that Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson signed.
On July 3, Carlsson signed a five-year, $90 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers with an annual average value of $18 million per season — the most of any player in NHL history. After taking six days to think it through, the Ducks ultimately decided to match the offer sheet on July 9, and now Carlsson is under Ducks control for the next six years.
The contract has obviously been a huge talking point in hockey circles among fans, media, and, of course, the players themselves. With Celebrini’s own rookie contract ending in one year, Carlsson’s deal affects him because it will likely just increase the amount of money that Celebrini can get on his next deal.
Macklin Celebrini Reacts to Leo Carlsson’s New Deal
Speaking to ESPN after being named the cover athlete of EA Sports NHL 27, Celebrini shared his reaction to seeing his Pacific Division rival Celebrini sign his historic contract.
“I’ve talked to a couple guys about it. I think at first everyone was kind of surprised just because $18 million hasn’t really flown around the NHL much at all. So, obviously, you look at it as a big number, but he’s an amazing player. He got it because he deserved it. I think that’s going to start being the new normal in the NHL, those kinds of numbers with the cap going up and all that stuff. So I think obviously it was really good for him to get that number and it’s also good for everyone else. That means the salaries are raising for players. That’s the most important thing for a lot of the guys, just to get that financial stability,” Celebrini said.
How Much Will Macklin Celebrini Get on His Next Contract?
After seeing how much money Carlsson got on his new contract, other young players who are due for new deals must be licking their lips right now, because the Carlsson deal increased the ceiling for everyone’s contracts.
When you compare Carlsson and the 67 points he had this season to the 115 points that Celebrini scored, you would think that he could land north of $20 million on his next contract with the Sharks. If San Jose did give him that much money, no one would bat an eye, because if there’s anyone in the NHL who deserves a max contract, it’s Celebrini.
That being said, Celebrini may leave some money on the table to help the Sharks out with their cap space since the NHL is a hard-cap league. If he takes less than the max, then he would leave some more meat on the bone for Sharks GM Mike Grier to make other moves and build a stronger team around him.
Ultimately, Celebrini and his agents are going to do what’s best for him, his family, and his bank account. But if he can leave a bit of money on the table instead of trying to max out his earnings as Carlsson did, then it will help the Sharks contend for the Stanley Cup for many more years to come.
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