The San Jose Sharks will be counting on Macklin Celebrini to lead them to glory in the future, but he can’t do it all by himself.
Will Smith is lined up to be one of the crucial pieces that can help Celebrini, as long as the Sharks can get Smith’s contract situation handled correctly.
Smith is currently in the third and final year of his three-year, entry-level contract. That means he will become a restricted free agent on July 1.
Of course, that’s a lot of time for the Sharks to get Smith signed to a contract extension if they play their cards right.
Will Smith Contract Update
NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote in a new article that Smith could be looking at a deal for more than $80 million.
The Sharks would surely try to get Smith signed to the maximum eight-year length, and he should get eight figures per season.
The Fourth Period includes this comment and addition from Pagnotta:
“’If he has the season that I think a lot of people expect him to have, those Fantilli, Gauthier numbers are going to look pretty nice when they’re presented to the San Jose Sharks,’ Pagnotta said, adding that Smith will see his next contract come with an AAV above $10 million, at the very least.”
Adam Fantilli recently signed a six-year, $82.5 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That’s $13.75 million per year.
Cutter Gauthier signed a six-year, $81 million deal with the Ducks, good for $13.5 million per year.
So based on those deals, Smith could top $80 million even on less than an eight-year contract.
He’s certainly going to get paid handsomely. It’s just a matter of the Sharks figuring out how high they can go — and if that’s enough to keep Smith from going into the potentially risky restricted free agency, which got the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson on an $18 million per year contract thanks to a huge offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Will Smith Stats
Smith has lived up to the hype since the Sharks drafted him No. 4 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Boston native who also starred at Boston College looks at home on the West Coast.
Smith played 74 games in his rookie season of 2024-25 and put up 45 points with 18 goals and 27 assists.
He then got 69 games in for 2025-26 with 59 points — 24 goals and 35 assists.
So far this season, Smith has four points through six games, with two goals and two assists.
He can be a key secondary star with Celebrini, if the Sharks can keep Smith around.
Sharks’ Will Smith Gets $80 Million Contract Update