Macklin Celebrini contract extension confirms the NHL is changing

San Jose Sharks reward Macklin Celebrini's brilliance

Considering Celebrini made NHL history multiple times over this season while nearly dragging an inferior Sharks team into the playoffs far earlier than anyone expected, this is still probably a discount. Celebrini could have asked for a maximum 20 percent deal. At that cap percentage, he'd have earned $22.7 million per season. 

For the next six years (this season plus the five of the extension), the Sharks will still receive some level of value back if Celebrini continues to be among the very best in the NHL.

The NHL landscape changes with three contracts

In the span of four weeks, the NHL landscape appears unrecognizable. Leo Carlsson, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini all showed moments of brilliance last season, though Carlsson and Bedard didn't show it for the same stretch as Celebrini. Still, all three earned big contract extensions on their second contract.

Yet, the curious part is how those deals are structured. All three players signed five-year contracts that only buy one year of unrestricted free agency.

Now, that doesn't mean that any of these players will be ready to up and walk to a new team in five years (or six in Celebrini's case). It means that the players recognize in this rising cap environment, there's less reason to sign max-length contracts and leave future money on the table. 

These deals and the end of the eight-year extension are ushering in a new era of player empowerment. Players know that their value is at its highest in their prime years, which is when these second contracts are ending.

NHL teams' silver lining

There is a hidden value for NHL teams. Under this new landscape, NHL teams are looking at ways to recoup value. One of those will come from these types of contracts. 

When former Calgary winger Matthew Tkachuk saw his three-year bridge deal expire in 2022, he had an enormous amount of leverage over Calgary, ultimately forcing a trade. Similarly, Jason Robertson was able to veto a trade this summer because he wouldn't sign with the acquiring team.

For the first four years of these contracts, Anaheim, Chicago and San Jose won't have to contend with onerous trade restrictions. Should the scenario arise where a trade becomes necessary, the teams have flexibility. 

That may seem unlikely, but the ongoing Dylan Larkin trade dispute in Detroit is precisely why teams are more likely than ever to crave flexibility where it can be found.

Needless to say, the odds of any of these three players getting dealt are slim.