Boston University Professional Athletes

The Contract That Rewrote the Record Books

Boston University's most decorated active NHL alumnus just got paid like it.

Macklin Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks' 19-year-old center, signed a five-year, $94 million contract extension this offseason — an $18.8 million average annual value that, at the time of signing, made him the highest-paid player in NHL history. The deal doesn't kick in until the 2027–28 season, with Celebrini still completing his entry-level contract, but the statement it made was immediate and unambiguous: San Jose is building its future around a BU product.

Celebrini himself was candid about why he left money on the table to stay. According to NHL.com's Max Miller, the young center acknowledged that keeping the deal team-friendly was a deliberate priority throughout negotiations — a notable stance for a player with this much leverage. "That was at the front of my mind throughout the whole negotiation," Celebrini said, per ClutchPoints. He wants the Sharks to be able to surround him with talent as the rebuild matures.

The record didn't last long. Colorado defenseman Cale Makar subsequently surpassed the $20 million AAV threshold, bumping Celebrini from the top spot. But the context doesn't diminish what Celebrini secured: a franchise-defining commitment from an organization that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in years, and is now openly banking on a BU alum to end that drought.

The Rankings Stamp of Approval

The contract wasn't the only validation Celebrini received this week. NHL Network ranked him the third-best center in the league — a leap from 19th place just one summer ago. That kind of jump in the span of a single season reflects how quickly Celebrini has shed any "top prospect" qualifier and stepped into the conversation as a genuinely elite player at the position. For a program that has produced NHL centers for decades, placing a sophomore inside the top three league-wide is a landmark moment.

Hutson and the Norris Trophy Debate

Meanwhile, in Montreal, another BU alum is generating hardware conversations of his own. Lane Hutson, the Canadiens' dynamic young defenseman, landed on NHL's top-15 assist list for the season — and his name is now appearing in early Norris Trophy discussions, though not everyone is convinced the accolade is in his near future. Hutson's offensive upside is unquestioned; the debate centers on whether his defensive game will catch up with his playmaking. The Canadiens, for their part, are still working to shore up the right side of their blue line, which has created some positional awkwardness for Hutson.

Tkachuk Heads to South Florida

One more BU alumni note: Brady Tkachuk is no longer a Senator. He was traded to the Florida Panthers this offseason, teaming up with brother Matthew in what figures to be one of the more physically imposing forward groups in the Atlantic Division. Tkachuk recently addressed being booed by Oilers fans in his new Panthers context — a sign he's already settling into a market with playoff expectations baked in.

Three BU alumni. Three very different chapters. Celebrini's is the one NHL history will remember.

Boston University has long been a pipeline for NHL talent, but this offseason two Terrier alumni are doing more than just keeping their names in circulation — they're reshaping how the league thinks about its next generation of stars.

Celebrini: Captain Material at 19?

The conversation around Macklin Celebrini has moved fast. After a jaw-dropping sophomore season in which the San Jose Sharks center posted 45 goals and 115 points, the 19-year-old is no longer just a promising young player — he's being floated as a legitimate captain candidate for a Sharks franchise actively searching for leadership.

Sportsnet identified Celebrini among the top candidates to fill one of the NHL's 10 currently vacant captaincies, a notable distinction for a player who has logged just two seasons in the league. San Jose is in a deliberate rebuild, and handing the 'C' to Celebrini would be a signal — to the roster, to the fanbase, and to the rest of the league — that the future is arriving ahead of schedule.

The case is straightforward: a 115-point sophomore season speaks louder than any speech a coaching staff could give. The question isn't whether Celebrini has earned the honor on talent alone. It's whether the organization wants to place that institutional weight on a teenager this soon.

Hutson: From Fringe to Top Ten

Over in Montreal, Lane Hutson is making a different kind of leap — up the credibility rankings. The Canadiens defenseman vaulted from 19th to 6th on NHL Network's annual Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list, one of the most dramatic single-season climbs in the ranking's recent history.

Hutson's rise tracks with the broader maturation of a Montreal blue line that is building toward genuine contention. For a defenseman to crack the top ten on a list that traditionally skews toward established veterans, the underlying play has to be undeniable. Hutson is making that argument emphatically.

The two BU alumni are linked by more than their alma mater — both are central pillars of rebuilding franchises betting heavily on youth, and both are ahead of the timelines their respective organizations likely projected when they were drafted.

The BU Connection

Celebrini and Hutson represent the sharper end of a deep BU alumni cohort that includes Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Brady Tkachuk (Panthers), and Jake Oettinger (Stars), among others. The Terriers don't just produce NHL players — they produce players who become the face of franchises.

This offseason, two more are stepping into that role. Whether Celebrini wears a 'C' in San Jose come October, and whether Hutson cracks the top five by next summer, are the BU storylines worth watching as the 2026–27 season takes shape.

Boston University has long been a pipeline to professional hockey, but rarely do two alumni dominate the NHL offseason conversation simultaneously. This week, Terrier products Brady Tkachuk and Macklin Celebrini are doing exactly that — one via a blockbuster trade, the other via a contract that could make him the richest player in the league.

Tkachuk Chooses Family Over a Homecoming

Brady Tkachuk's departure from Ottawa was always a matter of when, not if. But how it unfolded reveals just how deliberate the former Senators captain was about his next chapter.

According to reports, Tkachuk turned down a trade to the St. Louis Blues — the city where he grew up — before agreeing to join the Florida Panthers. The destination wasn't accidental. The Panthers are Stanley Cup contenders, and they also happen to employ his brother Matthew. Brady now gets to chase a championship alongside family, a combination that made the Blues' sentimental appeal easy to pass up.

For BU fans, the move is a reminder of what Tkachuk has always been: a player who competes on his own terms. He captained Ottawa for years on rebuilding rosters, and he's clearly not interested in more of the same. Florida offers a legitimate shot at a ring, and Tkachuk — physical, tenacious, and offensively capable — fits their win-now identity.

Celebrini's Crown Is Already Being Eyed

Meanwhile, across the continent in San Jose, Macklin Celebrini is sitting on a contract that hasn't even started yet — and the hockey world is already wondering whether someone will beat him to the punch.

The Sharks center is set to become the NHL's highest-paid player when his new deal kicks in ahead of the 2027-28 season. But Celebrini is still playing out his entry-level contract, meaning he has another season to go before that record-setting money begins. The question now circulating: can another player sign an even larger deal and leapfrog him before he ever skates a shift under that contract?

It's a strange and telling position to be in. Celebrini hasn't yet played a full NHL season at the top of the market, and the league is already debating who might surpass him. For a player still in his entry-level years, that kind of attention signals just how highly the Sharks — and the broader hockey community — regard his ceiling.

The Bigger Picture for Terrier Nation

BU has alumni scattered across the league — from Charlie McAvoy anchoring Boston's blue line to Jack Eichel leading Vegas, Lane Hutson emerging in Montreal, and Jake Oettinger minding the net in Dallas. But this week belongs to Tkachuk and Celebrini.

One is betting on himself in the Stanley Cup conversation. The other is already being talked about as a generational talent before his prime years have even begun. For a program that has produced NHL talent for decades, it's a banner stretch — and the 2026-27 season hasn't even dropped a puck yet.