The San Jose Sharks have been without a captain since Logan Couture stepped away due to injury in 2025.
According to multiple reports, including from Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, it is "all but certain" that 20-year-old superstar Macklin Celebrini will be named the 11th full-time captain in Sharks history ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Celebrini "All But Certain" To Be Named Sharks Captain https://t.co/ghwcrhZ5Db
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) August 23, 2026
During his 2025-26 sophomore campaign, Celebrini was nothing short of spectacular. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games and racked up a staggering 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists), breaking Joe Thornton's previous single-season franchise record of 114 points. The performance was good enough to finish fourth in NHL scoring and earn him a fourth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting as the league's most valuable player.
The two parties inked a five-year contract extension that will kick in beginning in 2027-28 and carries a salary cap hit of $18.8 million that is currently slated to make Celebrini the highest paid player in the NHL when the contract gets underway.
The Sharks are slated to get their 2026-27 campaign underway on October 1 by welcoming the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to the Bay Area.