Heading into his third season in the National Hockey League, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has already established himself as one of the league's top players. Now, he simply needs to prove that he can maintain that status and withstand the pressure that comes with being one of the highest-paid hockey players in the world, and potentially a captain. Given the fact that Celebrini has already captained Canada at the IIHF World Championship on a roster with players like Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, and Ryan O'Reilly alongside of him, there's no reason to doubt his ability to captain the San Jose Sharks despite his young age. With that being said, as the Sharks look for more depth scoring, there's the chance that we may see Celebrini's point totals slide ever-so-slightly while those around him see their numbers grow due to less reliance on the first line for all of the team's offense. Of course, that will also mean Celebrini will be more rested late in the season when the team needs him the most. Nonetheless, that's not an issue that we'll likely see impact his production this season, but something to be mindful of in the long run. The benchmark for Celebrini is now, at minimum, 100 points per season. He's proven he can do it, and some seasons will often exceed that number considerably. Expecting him to break his own franchise points record every single year might not be fair, even though he's going to be in consideration for the Hart Trophy on a regular basis. This season, I see Celebrini taking a step forward in the goal-scoring category and feel that he could surpass the 50-goal threshold for the first time in his young career. I do also see his point total increasing slightly, up to around the 120-point mark due to the addition of two additional games this season.
