Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell provided the latest contract update on star center Adam Fantilli.
The 21-year-old Fantilli remains unsigned with just two weeks to go until NHL training camps begin. A restricted free agent (RFA) without arbitration rights, Fantilli can only hold out right now for a better deal, but given how late it is in the offseason, an offer sheet from a rival team likely isn’t coming, meaning he and Columbus are going to have to get on the same page in terms of a new contract to get him into training camp.
Yet, despite all of that, Waddell says he is not worried about Fantilli’s contract status, as he still expects a deal to get done.
Don Waddell Provides Update on Adam Fantilli
Speaking to The Columbus Dispatch, Waddell provided the latest update on Fantilli’s contract negotiations.
“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,” Waddell said.
“I’m pretty confident that I don’t think he wants to miss training camp and we don’t want him to miss training camp.”
According to Waddell, the Blue Jackets would like to sign Fantilli to a long-term contract for more than five years. Still, with other notable RFAs like Leo Carlsson and Connor Bedard signing five-year contracts, Waddell says that it has been difficult to get Fantilli and his agent to agree to a deal longer than five years. Plus, the money has to be right, which has led to the two sides not being able to come to an agreement so far.
“The long-term contracts are becoming more and more difficult to get done. 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,” Waddell said.
“The hope is more (than five years in term), but we’ll see how these negotiations all go. You’ve got to get to where the money’s going to be, and then the term will come after that.”
Adam Fantilli NHL Career
Fantilli was drafted by the Blue Jackets with the third overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The Nobleton, Ontario, native just completed his third season in Columbus, playing in all 82 regular-season games and scoring 24 goals and 59 points.
In 213 career NHL games, Fantilli has scored 67 goals and 140 points. He is one of the top young centers in the game, and he would like to be paid accordingly.
After Carlsson signed a massive five-year, $90 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers that the Anaheim Ducks later matched, the prices for young players have skyrocketed in the NHL, and Fantilli understandably wants a bigger piece of the pie, too.
But without arbitration rights, the only leverage that Fantilli has right now is holding out for a better deal. While it’s understandable that he wants more money, missing training camp could be detrimental to his development, so it’s in the best interest of both the player and the team to get a deal done as soon as possible and make sure he’s in Blue Jackets camp on Day 1.
Blue Jackets GM Provides Latest Contract Update on Adam Fantilli