SAN JOSE – Winning this week’s NHL Draft Lottery and selecting Boston University center Macklin Celebrini first overall in June will not cure all that ails the San Jose Sharks.
But bringing in college hockey’s best player from this past season, and potentially a No. 1 center for years to come, is not a bad start.
“One player’s obviously not going to turn this thing around by himself,” Sharks center Nico Sturm said in March. “But I think we do miss players who are game changers, who can create something out of nothing.”
The Sharks hope the ping pong balls bounce their way Tuesday when the NHL conducts its draft lottery in Secaucus, N.J. San Jose has a 25.5% chance, more than any other team, of ending up with the needed four-number combination.
So if the Sharks’ numbers do come up, then what? After Sharks general manager Mike Grier and other members of the team’s front office stand on stage inside the Las Vegas Sphere next month and select Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick, what’s the next step?
To be clear, Celebrini, still just 17 years old, does not have to sign with the Sharks this year and can return to Boston University for his sophomore season. San Jose would hold his signing rights for four years.
As a freshman, Celebrini scored 64 points in 38 games and won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s most valuable player. His 1.68 points per game average ranked second in NCAA Division I behind the 1.73 average of Sharks prospect Will Smith, who scored 71 points in 41 games for national finalist Boston College.
But assuming Celebrini turns pro, he, like any budding star, will need to be supported.
“Character’s still a big part of the game, and you can’t forget about that,” said former NHL goalie and longtime analyst Darren Pang, now with TNT and NBC Sports in Chicago. “Forget about how important it is not just on your team in your locker room, but also around the entire league. You want to be a respected group.
“The kids, whether it’s Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid, or Nathan MacKinnon, you have to surround them with good people.”
The Sharks have said they hope to do that this summer as some roster spots become available after a season in which they finished 19-54-9 for an NHL-worst 47 points.
Eight Sharks players are pending unrestricted free agents, and most will not be brought back. Other pending restricted free agents on expiring contracts might also not return, and trades are a distinct possibility.
Per CapFriendly, the Sharks have about $49.5 million in salary cap commitments for next season. While Grier has said he won’t spend big dollars on aging high-profile players, he will still have plenty of cap space to add the type of individuals he feels will enhance the team’s culture and help form its identity.
“We definitely need to get faster, be harder to play against,” Grier said in April. “On my side, I think that’s through free agency or trades, looking to add players that fit the bill. We have roster space and cap flexibility to add and target some guys.
“So, hopefully, whether that’s through free agency or through trades, we’ll be allowed to add some guys that fit that profile.”
The Sharks have character players, including captain Logan Couture and alternate captains Mario Ferraro, Mikael Granlund, and Luke Kunin. Sturm is in that group, too, and they all learned what it takes to be a full-time NHL player from respected veterans.
Couture learned from Sharks legends Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, and Ferraro was almost inseparable from Brent Burns. As younger players with the Minnesota Wild, Granlund, Kunin, and Sturm were all around Mikko Koivu, who played over 1,000 NHL games and captained the team for 11 years.
If Celebrini comes to the Sharks, he’ll need that same level of mentorship.
“Probably one of the most professional players that I’ve been in a locker room with,” Sturm said of Koivu, who retired after the 2020-2021 season. “I’ve had the chance to learn from guys like that, and likewise, I tried to pass it along to our young guys in our organization.”
“You want (young stars) to learn the game the right way,” Pang said. “Too many times, young kids are anointed in this league.”
After Chicago won last year’s draft lottery, and right before the NHL draft in Nashville, where they selected Connor Bedard first overall, the Blackhawks supported the wunderkind center by acquiring Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins.
Soon after, Chicago also signed veteran Corey Perry to a one-year deal, although Perry was waived and cut by the team in late November for what it termed as “unacceptable” behavior.
Still, the point of adding veterans was to try and ease Bedard’s transition into the NHL and prevent players from other teams from taking liberties with him.
“I remember thinking you’ve got to surround this young man with good, character guys who are respected around the NHL,” Pang said of the time after last year’s lottery. “Not players who will just drop the mitts and fight, but in the middle of a scrum when you’ve got a young player like Connor Bedard, a Nick Foligno who can get into that scrum and get the attention of the other players.”
Celebrini could join a group of Sharks prospects just starting their North American professional careers in the next year or two. All will need time to develop. Celebrini is considered NHL-ready; if not, he could spend time in the AHL with the Barracuda.
Since Celebrini will be coming from the NCAA and not the CHL and will be 18 by then, he is eligible.
It’s hard for anyone to develop in the NHL, Couture said, especially still-growing teenagers.
“It’s massive,” Couture said of his half-season in the AHL in 2009-2010 when he was 20. “I wouldn’t have been able to contribute at the NHL level without spending my (58) games in the American League. I’m of the belief, and people can tell me I’m wrong all day, but you need to dominate in the American League before you can play in the NHL.
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“Rushing players is not a way for players to be successful. You do them a disservice, and in my opinion, it can ruin some players’ careers.”
Whether the Sharks win the lottery or not, they are a long way from being a postseason contender again. This season, they finished 51 points out of a playoff spot, and the Blackhawks, with a generational talent like Bedard, were 46 points out.
But Celebrini would appear to be a good player to have for the Sharks.
“Let’s say we draft first overall. All of a sudden next year, we’re not going to be Stanley Cup contenders,” Sturm said. “That’s obviously not how it works.”
