Despite the San Jose Sharks selecting Macklin Celebrini first overall, TNT will not have a single Sharks game broadcasted on the network, which feels odd given what past No. 1 picks have garnered.
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Connor Bedard, last season’s first overall pick, and the Chicago Blackhawks were shown on TNT five times, including Bedard’s second career game. ESPN nationally televised his first career game against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While Bedard might have received a little more hype from the draft, not a single Sharks vs. Blackhawks game will be broadcast nationally by TNT or ESPN.
The Sharks have six nationally televised games, all of which will be shown on an ESPN platform (ESPN+ or ESPN), while the Blackhawks have a combined 15 broadcasts on TNT and ESPN networks.
Sharks fans won’t be able to watch Macklin Celebrini’s NHL debut on local television due to ESPN+’s exclusive broadcast for that game. While Celebrini is getting some national attention, the NHL world will not once get a chance to see the last two No. 1 picks go head-to-head. The Sharks’ six national games are a significant drop from the 13 national games that Connor Bedard had for his rookie season.
The Sharks were also not shown on TNT last season, but with Celebrini, Will Smith, and others in the fold, this season shows promise for what the Sharks can be in the future.
The West Coast time difference could explain the lack of national Sharks games. Regardless, this feels like a missed opportunity for the NHL’s national broadcast partners to display the best head-to-head matchups of the league’s young talent.
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