Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini Injury Severity Unclear: Conflicting Reports

The San Jose Sharks were dealt a tough blow when they announced that their 2024 first-overall pick, Macklin Celebrini, had been placed on injured reserve with a week-to-week lower-body injury.

While the official timeline points to a potential return in as soon as a week, conflicting reports have cast uncertainty over how long the star rookie might actually be out.

Celebrini, who made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist in his debut, is dealing with a lower-body injury that Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t confirm was related to a preseason issue.

“(He’s) week to week. That’s really all I’ve got,” Warsofsky told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate. “I can’t put a timeline on it, to be honest with you.

"I think week to week is right around where we’re thinking. We’ll just see how it progresses through his rehab here the next couple (of) days.”

The coach’s comments haven’t clarified much, leaving the door open for the injury to be more of a mid-to-long-term absence rather than a short stint on injured reserve.

According to "multiple sources" talking to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now , Celebrini has suffered a hip injury and he played through pain on opening night.

“Didn’t sound alarming,” Peng wrote quoting one of his sources. “Opening night he played through it.”

While that particular source described the injury as “not alarming,” others have noted that the Sharks are monitoring his condition closely and will reassess his status in a week.

"Worst case?" Peng wondered in his story. "It sounds like Celebrini has been dealing with this injury for a little while, hopefully week-to-week doesn’t become month-to-month."

The hope is that Celebrini’s injury doesn’t extend beyond the current week-to-week estimate, but the fear remains that it could stretch into a more prolonged absence.

For context, Celebrini already missed time during the preseason . It's unknown if his current injury is related to that preseason problem, or if this is a different issue.

If the injury lingers, it could potentially hurt Celebrini’s chances in the Calder Trophy race. That said, the Sharks better be safe than sorry.

San Jose should be expected to delay Celebrini's return to the ice for as long as needed instead of rushing him back and potentially causing a setback that could hamper his long-term future in the league.

Related: Sharks' Macklin Celebrini Reveals NHL Arena He Can't Wait to Play In