Sharks’ Will Smith taking different approach to contract issue than Macklin Celebrini

SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini said last month that part of the reason he wanted to sign a long-term extension with the San Jose Sharks before the regular season began was to avoid having the contract issue hanging over him all year.

Still without a deal in place for next season, fellow Sharks forward Will Smith doesn’t seem to share the same concern.

“Doesn’t bother me at all, to be honest,” Smith told Bay Area News Group on Thursday before the Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks in their final home preseason game.

“I’m just itching to (start) the regular season. I’m under contract for the year, so there’s nothing to be worried about except play.”

Salaries for younger players coming out of their entry-level contracts rose dramatically after Anaheim center Leo Carlsson signed a five-year, $90 million offer sheet in July with the Philadelphia Flyers that the Ducks later matched.

Smith will not get that kind of contract, or anywhere close to it. Still, negotiations between the Sharks and Smith’s camp over the promising young forward’s next deal could be tricky.

Since debuting in the NHL two years ago, Smith’s overall statistics, from a points-per-game perspective, are similar to Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier and Columbus’ Adam Fantilli. Gauthier signed a six-year, $81 million extension with the Ducks last week, and Fantilli and the Blue Jackets agreed to a six-year, $82.5 million extension on Thursday.

But Smith’s next deal might not look quite the same. Gauthier seemed to receive a premium after a 41-goal season, and Fantilli, drafted one spot ahead of Smith in 2023, is the Blue Jackets’ top centerman and best young player.

Plus, Sharks general manager Mike Grier also knows that in the years ahead he’ll need to keep ample salary cap space available for extensions for goalie Yaroslav Askarov, forwards Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov, and defenseman Sam Dickinson if all of those players have strong 2026-27 seasons.

Grier, who was willing to do what it took to get Celebrini signed — including giving him more than the contract’s $18.8 million average annual value if asked — also hoped to get a deal done with Smith this summer, and added last week that he, the winger, and his group have had good conversations. “It was just the way it worked out that there wasn’t a deal done,” Grier said.

“I have all the respect in the world for players, and I want everyone to be fairly compensated and make as much money as they can during their career,” Grier said last week. “But at the same time, everyone’s got to slot into their place, and there’s only so many pieces of the pie to go around.

“If too many people take too much of the pie, then someone’s going to get left out, and we’ll have to have some tough decisions to make, or someone’s not going to be able to be re-signed.”

Asked about Grier’s “pie” analogy, Smith on Thursday said, “That’s Mike’s job to handle all that, and it’s really up to my agent and him to kind of figure that out. I really didn’t really look into it too much.”

Smith, Celebrini and veteran Mason Marchment have been on the same line since training camp and were slated to play together in Thursday’s preseason game at SAP Center. All three are making their preseason debuts.

Marchment was familiar with Celebrini’s game but has also been impressed by Smith, who has 42 goals and 62 assists in 143 career NHL games. A great year could put Smith in an advantageous position, contract-wise.

“He’s one of the best passers in the league,” Marchment said of Smith. “He’s always looking to dish, and you’ve got to be ready for the puck at all times. I love playing with him. He’s smart, skilled, hard on pucks, he likes to forecheck, and he’s also a great human.

“It’s going to be fun. It might not happen right away, but I have no doubt that once we get rolling, it’ll be a fun line to watch.”

The Sharks open the regular season on Oct. 1 against the Florida Panthers.

“I’m just worried about what I can control and just worried about this season,” Smith said. “Can’t wait to get out there.”

SAMSONOV ARRIVES

Goalie Ilya Samsonov, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sharks on Sept. 8, arrived in San Jose on Wednesday and skated at the team’s practice facility on Thursday afternoon. The Sharks said immigration issues were delaying his arrival.

Samsonov, 29, was signed after goalie Kyle Keyser sustained an offseason upper-body injury and is expected to be out long-term. Samsonov, who played 200 NHL games from 2019 to 2025, played for Sochi in the KHL last season and is expected to start the year with the Barracuda.

CARDWELL CLEARS

Forwards Ethan Cardwell and Tye Felhaber and defenseman Libor Hajek all cleared waivers on Thursday and were assigned to the Barracuda.

MORE PRESEASON DEBUTS

Other players expected to be on the Sharks’ 23-man roster who were making their preseason debuts Thursday were defensemen Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring and wingers Barclay Goodrow and Kiefer Sherwood.