Adam Fantilli and Cutter Gauthier are both in line for major paydays, but the exact numbers are still the sticking point in Columbus and Anaheim.
On NHL Tonight, Elliotte Friedman said the Blue Jackets and Fantilli have not yet bridged the gap in talks.
“Well, Fantilli, I hadn’t heard much except there was a gap, I think. Look, I think there was a before (Leo) Carlsson and an after Carlsson price with Fantilli.
And for what Fantilli’s after Carlsson price would be, I don’t think Columbus has gotten there yet. Now, I haven’t heard that that’s on the road to any serious trouble, but I just heard that the price change in Columbus hadn’t gotten there yet?”
Friedman also said there has been some movement on Gauthier, but the Ducks are staring at a hefty number and likely need to shuffle the roster to make it work.
“With Gauthier, I had heard rumors of some progress, but it’s going to be a big number. It’s going to be a really, really big number. And I think one of the things we’ll be watching over the next couple of weeks, Cory, is what Anaheim tries to do to create some cap room because they’re going to have to do some roster surgery to get this time.”
In Anaheim, the cap picture is tight. The Ducks have around $9 million in cap space to sign Gauthier, who is looking for $15-$16 million a season on his next contract. The situation got complicated after the extensions for Leo Carlsson and Pavel Mintyukov, with Carlsson landing at $18 million a season and Mintyukov at $7.2 million AAV.
That leaves Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek with a decision to make. The names being floated are Chris Kreider, Frank Vatrano, and Alex Killorn.
In Columbus, the expectation is that Fantilli will be at training camp, and the two sides are working toward a five-year deal. The unresolved piece is the AAV, with reports putting Fantilli in the $13.5 million to $14.5 million range. He also has a case for Connor Bedard money at $15 million a season, and Carlsson money at $18 million.
The Blue Jackets will create room when Elvis Merzlikins goes on LTIR after offseason surgery.
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