The Blue Jackets Will Have To Empty Their Wallets For Top RFA
Selected 3rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets have found a piece to build their future around in Adam Fantilli.
This season, he's played 82 regular-season games for the Blue Jackets, scoring 59 points (24-35) as the team's top-line center.
Fantilli's development has ticked upward every year since he arrived in Columbus, proving that the choice of Fantilli was right. During the 2024-25 season, he scored 57 points, and in 2023-24 scored 27 points.
Chosen by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, he was given an entry-level contract that paid him $950K average annual value on July, 1st 2023.
Now with 67 goals scored and 140 career points, the 2022-23 Hobey Baker Award winner has earned a nice payday. Fantilli is represented by Pat Brisson, which could make the negotiations for his next deal interesting.
Talks To Resume After The Olympic Break?
It was last reported that negotiations would pick up between Fantilli's camp and the Blue Jackets organization after the Olympic break.
Fantilli, the third pick in 2023, whose 31 goals were more than either Bedard or Carlsson last season. His agent, Pat Brisson of CAA Sports, and Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell confirmed this week that they decided to wait until after the Olympic break to pick back up on extension talks. I kind of wonder if the Fantilli camp is best served to wait on Bedard and Carlsson signing to further see that market firmed up with fresh data.
Seeing as we're now into April, the playoffs have begun, and the team has hired coach Rick Bowness back, GM Don Waddell will have to turn his gaze to making sure the future of the Blue Jackets is given a sizable raise. PuckProse gives us a realistic option with the salary cap increase coming up.
With how much the cap is increasing next season, and with how much money the Blue Jackets have to spend, that salary range is definitely reasonable for a guy who will be a massive part of the future, and anywhere under $6 million just looks unrealistic.
It's doubtful that we'll see Fantilli earn the value on his next contract that the Utah Mammoth's Logan Cooley has ($10 million AAV), but $6-8 M could be the starting rate for the Blue Jackets' top forward.
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
