Could Macklin Celebrini Score 25 Goals This Season?
The San Jose Sharks are going to be a surprise team this season. San Jose is in its rebuilding phase, as it drafted Macklin Celebrini, number one overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In addition, the Sharks also drafted Sam Dickinson to go along with Will Smith, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund, William Eklund, and Igor Chernyshov. San Jose just traded for Yaroslav Askarov to grow with this young team.
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In addition, GM Mike Grier added Tyler Toffoli, Ty Dellandrea, Cody Ceci, Alexander Wennberg, and Barclay Goodrow to help insulate a player like Macklin Celebrini.
While he was the top player coming out of college, winning the Hobey Baker Award, it’ll be an adjustment to the NHL. While Celebrini is a favorite to win the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, to expect him to score close to 30 goals is hard to see.
TSN: TSN Hockey Analyst Frankie Corrado joined Sarah Davis on SportsCenter to discuss the latest topics heading into the 2024-25 NHL Season on the newest Inside Edge. Corrado was asked if San Jose Sharks number one overall pick from 2024 can score more than 26.5 goals this season.
** NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Sarah Davis: “Okay, from one first-overall pick to another. What are your expectations for Macklin Celebrini in his rookie season? FanDuel has set the line at 26 and a half goals.”
Frankie Corrado: “I think it’s under San Jose. It’s going to be a rebuilding team. It’s not. There’s not there’s not going to be a lot of help around him. This is very similar to what Connor Bedard had to deal with last year with the Chicago Blackhawks as an 18-year-old player; as much as he was great in college hockey joining the NHL, it’s not easy to hit the ground running if he gets 22, 23, 24 goals this year, that’s still a very good rookie season for Macklin Celebrini with lots of room to grow.”
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Davis: “That’s a win.”
Expect the San Jose Sharks and Macklin Celebrini to be a surprise team this season in the Pacific Division. They will still be a bottom-feeder in the NHL; however, to expect them to be the worst team again, don’t bet on it.