- Don Waddell says he is confident Adam Fantilli signs before Blue Jackets camp opens Sept. 16
- Term is the sticking point, with Columbus pushing for more than five years
- Read below for Waddell’s full comments and the money the market has set
Adam Fantilli is the only player from the top three of the 2023 draft still without a contract, and Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell says that gets fixed before training camp.
Waddell told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that the empty slot on his roster does not worry him at all with camp two weeks away.
“No, not at all. 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.”
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic said Friday that Fantilli is due back in Columbus by the middle of next week and that nobody around the team is sweating the deadline:
Term is the holdup, not bad blood. Columbus wants more than five years on the 21-year-old center. Fantilli’s side has spent the summer watching the price of young centers climb.
Philadelphia started it with a five-year, $90 million offer sheet on Leo Carlsson that Anaheim matched at an $18 million cap hit. Connor Bedard re-signed in Chicago on July 18 for five years and $75 million. Then Cale Makar moved the ceiling again on Friday at $20.4 million a season.
The comparison that matters here is Carlsson. Fantilli has 140 points in 213 games to Carlsson’s 141 in 201, and he has played all 164 games over the last two seasons while posting 54 and 59 points.
Waddell was asked what the two sides are actually apart on, and he pointed at the calendar before the cash:
“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.”
Take a look at the player Columbus is trying to pay:
Money is the other half of it. The Blue Jackets are carrying roughly $12.6 million in cap space, and the cleanest way to find more is long-term injured reserve. Elvis Merzlikins and his $5.4 million hit is the obvious candidate after shoulder surgery left him without a timetable.
Fantilli has no arbitration rights yet, which leaves sitting out as his only real leverage. Hedger asked Waddell if the gap gets closed in time.
“Oh, for sure. 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.”
Camp opens Sept. 16 at Nationwide Arena. Columbus has just over two weeks to turn Waddell’s confidence into a signature.
