Macklin Celebrini is on track for a 2027-28 payday, but the NHL’s “highest paid” title is not set yet

The NHL’s highest-paid player conversation is increasingly focused on San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, but the timing matters. As outlined in a recent Yahoo Sports piece, Celebrini is expected to enter the 2027-28 season on a cap number that would make him the league’s top earner, even though he is not yet at that stage. He still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, meaning his next deal is roughly a year away from taking effect.

Within that window, the central question is whether anyone else can force their way past Celebrini’s expected mark when the league’s big contracts come due. The same report points to a specific benchmark for that debate: Celebrini’s cap hit on the current terms is listed at 18.8 million. If a different player reaches the open market next summer and secures a larger salary, the “highest paid” label could belong to someone else when 2027-28 starts.

From the Sharks’ perspective, the logic is straightforward. Elite young talent creates both on-ice options and front-office leverage, and the entry-level-to-maximum value transition is where NHL roster building often gets its most consequential. Celebrini’s status as a forward with long-term upside is part of why San Jose’s next contract cycle will be watched closely, not just by fans but by other teams trying to model how much to spend at the top of the forward group.

The broader NHL landscape also makes this kind of comparison unstable. Highest-paid status is not simply about who has the best season in real time. It is about contract timing, cap projections, and who is available to sign when the market opens. In other words, the player who is highest paid when the puck drops in 2027-28 may not be the player everyone thinks is best right now, because contracts are negotiated months before the season starts and finalized before training camps.

There is also a practical caveat: the “highest paid” phrase usually refers to salary cap impact, not take-home pay, and cap figures can be influenced by contract structure. Even if Celebrini is positioned to become the league’s top cap hit holder at the start of 2027-28, that expectation depends on how the Sharks’ new deal looks when it arrives and how other elite players time their own negotiations.

For the NHL, this sets up an unusually clear watchlist between now and next summer. One track is San Jose’s preparation for Celebrini’s next agreement, since the Sharks will need to plan around how that contract fits the team’s other core pieces. The other track is the league-wide contract market, where the report suggests there are multiple players who could surpass a listed 18.8 million cap hit if they were to hit unrestricted free agency and land a larger deal.

What to monitor next is therefore twofold. First, any credible reporting about who will be available on the open market next summer and what cap ceilings teams expect. Second, any updates that confirm the timeline for Celebrini’s next contract cycle and how the Sharks’ internal roster planning accommodates the transition from entry-level terms into the next phase of their long-term build.

If the market does not produce a larger deal than Celebrini’s expected ceiling, he becomes the reference point for the NHL’s pay structure entering 2027-28. If it does, this title could trade hands before he ever wears it, turning a single contract milestone into a league-wide negotiation contest.