Hair slicked back and face clean shaven, Adam Fantilli met with reporters just a few hours after the Blue Jackets released news of his massive new six-year, $82.5 million contract.
Sporting a Union Blue quarter zip emblazoned with the Blue Jackets' crest, a pair of light blue jeans plus a smile that lit up the room, Fantilli put his name to paper on the largest contract in franchise history along with Don Waddell, the team's president of hockey operations and general manager.
Just like that, a training camp absence that had stretched to eight days and three preseason games finally came to a halt.
"Once we really started negotiating, there really were no breaks in it," Waddell said. "It was daily,
and I always felt we were going to find the common ground with it. There was going to be some give and take with it on both sides, but I've said all along this deal was going to get done. I just couldn't tell you which day it was going to get done."
It sounded almost like he and Fantilli hadn't just ended a contractual tango that stretched back to July 1, 2025, when Fantilli was first eligible to sign. Fantilli and his agent, Pat Brisson, wisely opted to push the decision off and continued their reluctance while waiting to see what this summer did for the RFA market.
It was a wise decision on their part.
Thanks to a failed attempt by Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere to pluck center Leo Carlsson from the Anaheim Ducks with an offer sheet worth $90 million over five years ($18 million AAV), Fantilli and the rest of the NHL watched that tide lift all RFA boats.
Connor Bedard, the first overall pick in 2023, re-upped with the Chicago Blackhawks for $15 million a season over five years. Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in 2024, signed an extension with the San Jose Sharks for five years and $18.8 million per season, and that one doesn't start until 2027. Cutter Gauthier, a power forward selected fourth overall by the Flyers in 2022 and traded to the Ducks, also signed in Anaheim with a six-year extension worth $81 million ($13.5 million AAV).
One by one, they signed big contracts while Fantilli, Brisson and Waddell kept hammering away at negotiations. At least one report by The Athletic put Fantilli's asking price at $15 million a year.
"I had Pat [Brisson] fill me in along the way," Fantilli said. "I'm no expert in this area of the game by any means, so I rely on him heavily. He was great. I learned a lot, but I just missed the guys, I missed the city, I missed the fans and I'm just excited that it's over with."
Next up?
Fantilli will join practice Sept. 25 at Nationwide Arena and feels ready to play in the Jackets' final preseason game Sept. 26 in Detroit. Rick Bowness, the Jackets' head coach, feels otherwise. Fantilli's first game will likely be the Blue Jackets' season-opener Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres, giving him five skates to get up to speed.
Thanks to the Blue Jackets' coaching staff, who sent Fantilli video to study, he's caught up with systematic changes from last season. The main thing is he's here and has a contract that keeps him in the conversation with his peers around the league.
Waddell, meanwhile, got what he needed by keeping Fantilli's cap number below $14 million on a long-term deal.
It's the largest contract in Blue Jackets history, but it should be viewed as win-win despite Fantilli now owning the NHL's fifth-highest salary. That's an overpay right now for a guy who's only played three seasons, but the NHL's cap ceiling shows no signs of regression.
It's set to keep climbing by leaps and bounds, and contracts like Fantilli's have quickly become the price of doing business with top RFAs.
Waddell also had to thread a needle through an extremely tiny eye for the Blue Jackets, who had relationships with previous top centers Ryan Johansen and Pierre-Luc Dubois turn sour during contentious RFA negotiations. Josh Anderson, a power forward, also went through it in 2017, missing an entire training camp unsigned.
That couldn't happen again, so it didn't.
After an offseason filled with uncertainty and turmoil attached to the future plans of their top two scorers, Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, Waddell and the Blue Jackets needed an offseason "win" in the worst possible way. They couldn't afford another black eye and Fantilli couldn't wait to get himself on the road to Columbus.
"I had my bags packed, ready to go, and I got a call from my agent [Sept. 23] that it could get wrapped up [Sept. 24]," he said. "The second I got a call this morning, I was in the car and on my way down with my mom, and obviously I'm just super excited and super grateful. I couldn't be happier to be here."
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Adam Fantilli 'couldn't be happier' to join Columbus Blue Jackets
