What Might Celebrini and Gauthier’s Contracts Look Like?

Macklin Celebrini and Cutter Gauthier are not at all the same kind of player.

However, both will be earning a very large sum of money. And before assuming that Celebrini will earn much more than Gauthier, it's important to keep a few key facts in mind.

For one thing, the Sharks' center is willing to accept less money to help his team compete. And Gauthier, according to Keith Yandle, doesn't want a penny less than Leo Carlsson.

So what might their contracts look like?

Even though Celebrini will earn less than he's worth, he'll make at least $15 million per season—the annual amount Connor Bedard signed for yesterday.

The Hockey News has weighed in and believes he could earn between $17 million and $19 million regardless of the contract term. And if he really wanted to send a message, he'd sign for less than $18 million (Leo Carlsson's deal).

San Jose has just over $12 million available in salary cap space, and Mack's entry-level contract doesn't expire until next July 1. By then, the contracts of Logan Couture ($8 million) and Dmitry Orlov ($6.5 million) will have expired. Regardless of Celebrini's demands, San Jose will have no choice but to accept.