- Blue Jackets sign Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million contract extension
- Deal ends a holdout that kept him out of training camp for more than a week
- Read below for what Waddell and Bowness said about getting it done
Adam Fantilli’s holdout is over.
The Blue Jackets signed the 21-year-old center to a six-year, $82.5 million contract on Thursday, ending a standoff that kept him away from training camp for more than a week. The deal carries a $13.75 million cap hit and runs through the 2031-32 season.
Fantilli was a restricted free agent all summer, and Columbus still didn’t have him signed four days into camp. General manager Don Waddell explained why getting this one done mattered so much.
“Adam Fantilli has all of the tools you look for in a player: speed, size, skill, along with a competitive drive to succeed,” Waddell said. “He is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL and a big part of what we are building in Columbus, so this is a very exciting day for our organization and our fans.”
Philadelphia’s offer sheet to Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson shook up the market for every young center this month. The Ducks matched it to keep him at five years and $90 million, and that number rippled straight into Fantilli’s own talks.
Waddell was asked how the Carlsson situation changed his numbers with Fantilli.
“I think the offer sheet definitely changed the marketplace a little bit, and we’ve recognized that,” Waddell said on Sept. 16.
He still landed above another Anaheim RFA who signed that same week. Cutter Gauthier got six years and $81 million from the Ducks, a $13.5 million average. Fantilli’s $13.75 million tops it and leads the Blue Jackets roster.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic had the numbers first Thursday, calling it the end of a saga that dragged from summer into camp. Check out his report:
Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness stood behind Fantilli back when camp opened, before there was a deal in hand.
“It’s out of my hands, unfortunately,” Bowness said. “He called me last night and we had a great conversation. His heart’s in the right place. He loves being here. He loves being a Blue Jacket.”
Columbus took him third overall in the 2023 draft. He set a career high last season with 59 points on 24 goals and 35 assists across all 82 games, giving him 140 points in 213 career games.
Missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season didn’t stop Columbus from paying up. The team finished with 92 points, its best mark since 2018-19, and opens this season Oct. 1 at home against the Sabres with its franchise center in the building.
