Macklin Celebrini is out of the Sharks' lineup, handing Ryan Warsofsky an immediate injury concern before puck drop.
Celebrini took part in pregame warmups Monday night but left the ice early, and San Jose ruled him out with an upper-body injury.
That sequence matters. This wasn't a player being held out hours in advance or simply receiving a scheduled night away from the lineup.
Celebrini got far enough into the Sharks' normal game preparation to skate in warmups before something changed and his night ended.
-
For Warsofsky, the timing forces an immediate adjustment. Losing a top offensive piece that close to puck drop changes line combinations, special-teams deployment and the way the bench is managed.
-
There's also no announced timeline attached to the injury at this stage. The Sharks have identified only the upper-body issue, leaving Celebrini's availability beyond Monday unresolved.
Celebrini's early exit puts San Jose on alert
The biggest concern is the visual sequence before the decision. Celebrini was dressed, skating with his teammates and preparing to play before leaving warmups ahead of the rest of the group.
-
That makes the next update far more important than the initial scratch. San Jose now needs to determine whether this was a short-term precaution or an issue that could affect Celebrini beyond one night.
The Sharks' lineup is built differently when Celebrini isn't available. His absence removes a high-end puck carrier and forces other forwards into assignments they weren't necessarily expected to handle when the day began.
It also puts Warsofsky's next lineup decision under the microscope. Any missed time would require San Jose to decide who moves up, who absorbs more offensive-zone work and whether the club needs another roster option.
For now, there's no reason to attach a diagnosis or timetable that the Sharks haven't provided. But leaving warmups early and being ruled out minutes before a game is enough to make this a situation worth watching closely.
The next meaningful development will be Celebrini's status after the club evaluates him further. Until then, San Jose has suddenly moved from routine game preparation into an injury watch involving one of its most important players.
Should the Sharks keep Macklin Celebrini out until he is fully cleared?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Connor Hellebuyck trade near finalization with a team we did not expect
