San Jose Sharks center Maclin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, has been placed on injured reserve and is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury , the team and coach Ryan Warsofsky announced Saturday.
Placement on injured reserve requires a stay of at least seven days, meaning Celebrin will miss at least three games, including Saturday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks. The lower-body injury he’s dealing with will also keep him out of next week’s games in Dallas and Chicago in the Sharks’ first trip.
The soonest Celebrini will be able to return to action is Friday in Winnipeg. The Sharks return home for their Oct. 20 game against Colorado.
The 18-year-old did not train on Friday after making a huge impact on his projected debut, scoring one goal and assisting another. Playing as the Sharks’ top center, the North Vancouver native and NCAA Player of the Year scored and set up Tyler Toffoli’s goal in the first period Thursday against St. Louis. San Jose would lead 4-1 after two periods before the Blues rallied to make a run in the third and win 5-4 in overtime.
Warsofsky would not confirm to reporters whether this lower-body issue is related to the one he dealt with in the preseason. Celebrini was injured in an exhibition on Oct. 2 against Utah and was unavailable for the team’s final two preseason games. He will return to training on Monday and declared himself fit to play in the team’s first game.
“(It’s) week after week. That’s really all I have,” Warsofsky told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate. “Honestly, I can’t give a timeline on that. I think week to week is what we think. We will see how his recovery goes over the next few days. “
The Sharks have big things in store for Celebrini after winning the lottery in May following a 19-54-9 season in which they had the worst record in the NHL. He has been their number one center since the start of training camp, centering Toffoli and William Eklund.
After his two-point debut, Warsofsky said: “We saw everyone at training camp. Through competition from newcomers. Apparently it has a high motor. High hockey IQ. You can make things happen quickly and realistically. And he wants to do things every turn. “It doesn’t surprise me too much.”
MACLEEN CELEBRINE IS THE FIRST GOAL IN THE NHL IN THE FIRST GAME!!! 🤩 #NHLFaceOff
📺: @ESPNPlus ➡️ pic.twitter.com/y5D0IVrbot
-NHL (@NHL) October 11, 2024
How will the Sharks adjust to Celebrini’s injury?
Mikael Granlund’s value to the team is already evident. With Logan Couture injured for the entire 2023-24 season and Tomas Hertl eventually being traded to Las Vegas, Granlund was essentially the Sharks’ number one center last season. He had a comeback season of 60 points in 69 games.
Although he played on the left wing on Thursday, Granlund has plenty of experience in the center and the 32-year-old Finnish playmaker will take Celebrini’s place between Eklund and Toffoli. In a roster move, the Sharks recalled defenseman Jack Thompson from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Saturday, but have additional forwards who could enter the lineup.
Klim Kostin is expected to start Saturday night against Anaheim after a healthy shutout on Thursday. Costin, a 25-year-old forward, has five goals and five assists in 19 games with the Sharks since entering on March 8 against Detroit.
If anything, Celebrini’s injury will slow his hot start, and the Sharks will hope the youngster isn’t dealing with something that happens too often. An extended absence could hurt his chances of winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. This year’s class is strong, with Philadelphia’s Matvey Michkov, Anaheim’s Kuter Gauthier, Dallas’ Logan Stankoven and San Jose’s Will Smith as potential candidates.
Required reading
• Sharks’ Maclin Celebrini, No. 1 pick in 2024, first goal and assist in NHL debut
• McLean Celebrin’s big NHL debut: What we saw from the Sharks’ No. 1 pick
