The Columbus Blue Jackets are hardly in an enviable position. They are heading into training camp later this fall, and there is still little progress in a new contract for young star Adam Fantilli.
While Columbus GM Don Waddell seems confident that the two sides will work something out sooner rather than later, the pressure is on to get a deal done.
Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous.
The most immediate material impact of a potential contract holdout would be Columbus playing without its top center.
Losing Fantilli for any period of time would significantly diminish the team’s ability to compete from the start.
But beyond that, missing training camp could lead to undesirable consequences. Last fall, the Anaheim Ducks and Mason McTavish didn’t come to an agreement until late September. McTavish pretty much missed all of training camp, leading to a regression in his production last season.
Several pundits speculated that the holdout adversely affected McTavish’s play last season. And the situation culminated with the Ducks moving McTavish to the St. Louis Blues this offseason.
Now, McTavish’s case isn’t a prediction of what will happen between the Blue Jackets and Fantilli, but it is a cautionary tale to be sure.
Blue Jackets and Fantilli Have a Huge Gap to Close
The biggest problem for the Blue Jackets may simply be the number.
There appears to be a significant gap between what Columbus wants to pay Adam Fantilli and what the young center believes he’s worth.
Some chatter has suggested the Blue Jackets are closer to the $12 million to $12.5 million range, while Fantilli’s camp could be looking for something much closer to the $15 million that Connor Bedard received from Chicago.
And it’s not difficult to see how things got here.
Fantilli, Bedard, and Leo Carlsson were the top three picks of the 2023 NHL Draft, and the contracts signed by Bedard and Carlsson have completely changed the conversation.
Carlsson received an unprecedented five-year, $90 million offer sheet from Philadelphia before Anaheim matched it. Bedard then signed a five-year, $75 million extension with Chicago.
Those deals give Fantilli’s camp some serious ammunition.
Maybe the Blue Jackets could have gotten Fantilli done for around $10 million earlier in the summer.
That ship has sailed. Now, Columbus has to decide how much it’s willing to pay to keep its franchise center.
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Columbus Can’t Simply Give Fantilli Whatever He Wants
Even if Don Waddell decided to give Fantilli exactly what he is asking for, there’s another problem.
The Blue Jackets have to make the salary-cap math work.
Columbus has been deliberately preserving cap flexibility for its remaining RFA business, but a contract in the $15 million range would eat up a massive chunk of that room.
And that means Waddell can’t simply throw money at the problem and move on.
He would have to start moving salary elsewhere.
That’s not necessarily impossible. The Blue Jackets have contracts they could potentially move, and the salary cap is rising. But finding the right trade in the next couple of weeks is a completely different matter.
That’s particularly concerning with training camp approaching.
The longer this drags out, the more complicated the situation becomes.
Fantilli could decide that he’s better off waiting. The Blue Jackets could decide they aren’t willing to meet his number. Suddenly, the team’s No. 1 center could be sitting at home while his teammates prepare for the season.
That’s the scenario Columbus desperately needs to avoid.
The Blue Jackets have every reason to believe Fantilli is a major part of their future. But they also need to make sure they don’t create a massive cap problem just to get the deal finished.
Blue Jackets Have to Get Adam Fantilli Deal Done Before Camp