Huge Update On Blue Jackets' Contract Talks With Adam Fantilli
Training camp opens September 16, giving Waddell just over two weeks to finalize a new deal.
Asked about the timeline, he sounded unbothered. "No, not at all," Waddell told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. "We're in communication. There's a little difference of opinion right now, which is normal, and I'm confident that we'll have him done before training camp."
The Numbers Are Taking Time
Fantilli's price tag has been complicated by what his own draft class has already gotten paid.
He was picked third overall in 2023, one spot behind Anaheim's Leo Carlsson and two behind Chicago's Connor Bedard, both of whom have since signed among the richest contracts in the league, Bedard at $15 million annually and Carlsson briefly becoming the NHL's highest-paid player at $18 million.
Aaron Portzline on Fantilli: "Adam Fantilli, still unsigned as an RFA, is expected in (for training camp) by the middle of next week. Still sensing no concern that a contract with Fantilli will be signed ahead of training camp."#NHL #CBJ pic.twitter.com/QfKSjtBVwP
— R i N K Y (@RinkyReport) August 28, 2026
Waddell pointed to the term, more than the money, as the real sticking point. "The long-term contracts are becoming more and more difficult to get done," Waddell said. "So, obviously, we're trying to get as much term as we possibly can. That's one of the differences we have, and then money is obviously a big part of it."
Fantilli's production stacks up reasonably well against Carlsson's, with 140 points in 213 career games compared to Carlsson's 141 in 201, and he's played all 164 games over the past two seasons.
Columbus is working with roughly $12.6 million in cap space, well short of the Carlsson number, though the Blue Jackets have options to create more room. Placing Isac Lundestrom, recovering from Achilles surgery, on long-term injured reserve would help, as would a similar move involving backup goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and his $5.4 million cap hit.
Where Things Stand
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported Fantilli is expected back in Columbus by the middle of next week, adding that nobody around the organization is treating the deadline with too much concern.
If the deal gets done, Fantilli slots in as the top-line center alongside Kirill Marchenko and offseason addition Valeri Nichushkin, positioning him to become Columbus' highest-paid player the moment ink hits paper.
Elliotte Friedman: Re RFA negotiations: Cutter Gauthier and Adam Fantilli...I just think that the Leo Carlsson deal and the Connor Bedard deal have completely changed the market - 32 Thoughts (8/25)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 26, 2026
For now, both sides remain in what Waddell has described as a normal, professional negotiation, with the expectation that Fantilli joins his draft classmates in life-changing money before camp gets underway.
