Macklin Celebrini just became the highest paid player in the NHL, and somehow that's not even the most interesting part of this story.
San Jose locked him up for five years at $18,800,000 a season, a record number for a player who's still just 20 years old.
Here's the real hook though. Celebrini and Connor Bedard both grew up in North Vancouver, and both are set to hit unrestricted free agency in their mid-20s.
Bedard is locked in with Chicago for now, and Celebrini just signed his own extension. Neither is walking away from those deals early.
But five years for Celebrini and six for Bedard means two of the brightest young stars in hockey both come open again while still in their prime.
That's not a small thing for a fan base that's been waiting on a real reason to look ahead.
Both players had one last shot at an eight year deal before the new CBA rules kick in, and both passed on it, choosing shorter term instead.
Why Burnaby's Eight Rinks matters more than you think
That choice matters. Waiting out a shorter deal only makes sense if a player is comfortable testing the market again down the road.
Celebrini posted 45 goals and 70 assists for 115 points in 82 games this past season, exactly the kind of production that will command another record number whenever his next contract comes up.
Bedard put up 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points in 69 games before a shoulder injury ended his season early, still one of the most talented players in the sport at just 21.
Vancouver is rebuilding right now, and that's the part that actually works in this scenario's favor.
Manny Malhotra, GM Ryan Johnson, and the Sedins are running this thing with a long view, building a roster that's supposed to be genuinely good in five years, with or without either of these two.
That's the honest pitch here. Vancouver doesn't need Celebrini or Bedard to show up and save anything. It just needs to be a real option when the time comes.
Both players train in Vancouver in the offseason, working out of their own practice setup at Burnaby's Eight Rinks facility.
That's not nothing. Local guys who actually come home every summer and choose to skate here are different from prospects who simply visit family on a break.
Would Vancouver actually land one of these two, let alone both? Nobody can promise that, and five years is a long way off in a league that moves fast.
But two real chances at two hometown superstars, both already showing up to skate in this city every summer, is exactly the kind of long shot worth getting excited about now.
Will the Canucks eventually sign Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini as free agents?
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