Could Celebrini Be a Better Player Than McDavid?

The team McDavid walked on in Edmonton already had serious talent. I remember those teams well. But on the Sharks, Celebrini isn’t just surviving. He’s thriving by controlling shifts and dictating pace. He looks like the grown-up out there, and he’s 18. That’s rare.

McDavid Entered the NHL with Some Advantages

McDavid arrived with speed that looked like a cheat code. Auston Matthews arrived with the best pure release I’ve ever seen from a rookie. Sidney Crosby arrived with that heavy, hungry playmaking that made the puck stick to him like he had magnets in his gloves.

Celebrini’s different. Not one of his superpowers overshadows everything else. He’s good at everything already. He reads the ice like a veteran. He wins battles he shouldn’t win. He shoots well enough to beat goalies cleanly. He creates plays without forcing anything. He handles heavy minutes without wearing out. Even more astounding, he’s a 200-foot player who doesn’t just backcheck; he defends.

He’s the complete package. He’s not a specialty player; he’s a foundation one. There’s no panic in his game. You only really notice it after watching so many rookies who carry that little twitch of nervous energy. They do an extra stickhandle, a rushed shot, and some hesitation at the blue line. Celebrini skips all that. Every decision is calm, unhurried, and mature. He plays like the whole league is watching—and he doesn’t care.

The Bottom Line for Celebrini?

Could he ever be “better” than McDavid? If you mean raw, peak dominance where every shift electrifies the arena, I’m not sure anyone touches McDavid for a long, long time. But if you’re talking all-around impact, a center who can drive play, score, make every pass count, lead quietly, and elevate everyone around him? That question doesn’t sound so strange. You can already see the outline of a player who might grow into something closer to Crosby’s completeness than McDavid’s flash.

Celebrini hasn’t surpassed anyone yet, but the template he’s building will age beautifully in the NHL. The honest answer will only be known in about five seasons. But the fact that I’m even bringing this conversation up before the Christmas of his rookie season says something.

The Sharks might not just have a good player. They might have the center that they rebuilt a decade ago.