Celebrini Injured, Out At Least One Week, Maybe More

Macklin Celebrini will miss a number of games, maybe many.

The San Jose Sharks placed Celebrini on injured reserve on Saturday, after the 2024 first-overall pick didn’t participate in practice on Friday.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky called it a week-to-week lower-body injury.

Warsofsky said the Sharks knew after the Oct. 10 season opener that Celebrini was hurt. Celebrini did finish that game, starting OT in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He declined to confirm if the injury stemmed back to a lower-body injury that Macklin Celebrini was nursing in the preseason.

Being on IR, Celebrini will miss at least one week, at minimum. The earliest return for Celebrini would appear to be Oct. 18 at the Winnipeg Jets — but don’t circle that date.

Warsofsky couldn’t commit to Celebrini returning by even November.

“I can’t say, put a timeline on it, to be honest with you. I think week-to-week is right around where we’re thinking,” the San Jose Sharks bench boss said. “We’ll just see how it kind of progresses through his rehab here the next couple days.”

At least week-to-week is better than month-to-month. And who knows, Celebrini is 18, a quick recovery is always possible.

All this comes on the heels of a strong NHL debut from Macklin Celebrini, highlighted by his first goal and assist.

The San Jose Sharks will genuinely miss the young star, who opened the season as their No. 1 center.

“He’s obviously already one of the best players on our team, if not the best,” veteran linemate Tyler Toffoli said.

“Life’s unfair at times, but I think mentally, he’s good,” Warsofsky said.

“He’s in good spirits,” fellow top prospect Will Smith said. “Obviously, he’s bummed missing the games, but he’s gonna be back soon.”

“He was in here today working. It’s obviously the game of hockey, right?” Warsofsky said. “There’s gonna be injuries.”