San Jose Sharks Forward Macklin Celebrini Out Week to Week, Placed on Injury Reserve

It's been a day of bad news from the San Jose Sharks organization. Forward Macklin Celebrini has been placed on the injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next few games. With the 18-year-old on the shelf, the Sharks now have to find a way to adjust for the hole on the roster left by the young star. The centers will need to be shuffled around to accommodate the new gap, and the fans won't get to enjoy the kid for the time being.

With that said, the organization is doing precisely the right thing. If there is any issue with the player, the Sharks need to shut him down and let him get back to 100%. There's no reason to risk the future of the franchise after his NHL debut. That would be horrendous asset management and risk, potentially setting the franchise back years for no reason. Let Celebrini recoup no matter how slight or severe the issue is.

In the meantime, the Sharks need to adjust the deck chairs down the middle. Without Celebrini, I guess Mikael Granlund will move up to the top line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli in a straight swap. Klim Kostin would then come into his spot on the second line. That's what I would expect to happen. It's not ideal, as you would always much rather have Celebrini than not, but it's the best makeshift solution.

Without Celebrini, all eyes for the future of the forward core will turn to Will Smith. Can the Hobey Baker Finalist fill the void left by the winner of last season's award? It's a big void, even after just one NHL game. Celebrini had two points in the opener, while Smith was a little quiet. Can he step up and show us all what he can do?