The countdown clock is ticking for the Blue Jackets, who are still trying to re-sign top center Adam Fantilli with training camp set to open with medical evaluations Sept. 16.
Other than time beginning to run out, nothing much has changed in that negotiation from when Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell told The Dispatch on Aug. 30 that he was confident they would reach an agreement before camp starts.
Waddell said he is in regular communication with Fantilli's agent, Pat Brisson, while Fantilli continues his offseason training in Toronto. Brisson didn't provide an update from Fantilli's side when reached by text message Sept.
10, but Waddell said he remains confident they'll strike a deal before camp.
"We have been talking almost daily," he waid Sept. 10. "We will get something done."
What's the holdup with Columbus Blue Jackets signing Adam Fantilli?
Specifics from Fantilli's side are unknown, but Waddell said Aug. 30 that he would like to get a contract that's longer than five years. That's likely still the goal, but with Fantilli still unsigned it's safe to assume the total money offered thus far isn't enough.
The biggest stumbling blocks are this summer's volatile market for re-signing restricted free agents, set off by the Anaheim Ducks' Leo Carlsson getting $18 million per season on a new five-year contract, and the NHL's rapidly rising salary cap.
In the past two years, the cap's ceiling has risen from $88 million in 2024-25 to $95.5 million last season. It's set at $104 million this season and is expected to balloon to $113 million for 2027-28, a total jump of $25 million over just four years.
Should that continue, players on long-term contracts risk losing large sums of money they could potentially could earn in future negotiations as either RFAs with arbitration rights or unrestricted free agents. That's why Carlsson's new contract, which began as an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, was structured to last only five years and pay most of the money early in signing bonuses.
Connor Bedard, taken first in 2023 and one spot higher than Carlsson, also re-signed with the Chicago Blackhawks this summer on a five-year deal worth $15 million a year, which was considered by analysts to be a hometown discount. Fantilli, selected third by the Blue Jackets in the same draft class as Bedard and Carlsson, is likely seeking a new salary similar to Bedard's.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli compares favorably to peers
Fantilli's numbers nearly mirror Carlsson's through their first three seasons (141 points for Carlsson, 140 points for Fantilli). Each is also a young No. 1 center for a team with playoff aspirations, and Fantilli has already topped 30 goals in a season with a career-high 31 goals in 2025-26.
That's something Carlsson hasn't done, although he came close last season with 29 goals in 70 games.
Fantilli has also hasn't missed a game either of the past two years after missing the second half of his rookie season in 2023-24 with a calf laceration. Carlsson has yet to make it through a full NHL season, while Bedard has logged just one complete season and will miss the start of this one while recovering from shoulder surgery for an injury that occurred in summer training.
The biggest difference between Fantilli and his two closest peers from the 2023 draft class is that he hasn't signed an offer sheet with another team or an extension with his own team.
There are still lots of unknowns about his situation, but what is known is that Fantilli's potential absence would be another gut punch for a team that has spent most of its long offseason fighting off the ropes.
What will it take for Columbus Blue Jackets to sign Adam Fantilli?
Fantilli isn't the only unsigned RFA star in the NHL this late in the offseason.
According to PuckPedia, three additional forwards and three defensemen remain unsigned a week out from the start of camps across the league. The list includes Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier, whose next contract could come with an average cap hit of $15 million per season or more after leading the team with 41 goals last season.
Defensemen Alexander Nikishin, who helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup last season, is also unsigned along with top-pairing defenseman Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings, who are searching for a new GM to replace Steve Yzerman.
So, what will it ultimately take for the Blue Jackets to re-sign Fantilli? Concessions.
Either the Blue Jackets will improve their total monetary offer to get a deal longer than five years or they'll accept a shorter-term agreement with what's likely to be a smaller cap charge, which would keep Fantilli in control of his future earnings based largely on performance. That would include risks on the player's side related to injuries or poor performance.
Either way, the clock is winding down.
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Time running out for Columbus Blue Jackets to re-sign Adam Fantilli
