Three unsigned restricted free agents are still hanging over NHL camps, and each situation looks a little different. Adam Fantilli, Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin all remain without deals as training camps move through their second week, with the regular season set to begin on September 29.
Detroit has kept Edvinsson around the team. Columbus is still talking with Fantilli while trying to sort out a major roster decision. Carolina, meanwhile, opened camp without Nikishin, whose future with the Hurricanes is unsettled after an offseason trade request.
Adam Fantilli is the biggest unresolved name in Columbus, and the Blue Jackets are feeling the weight of it. The 21-year-old center has not reported to camp while negotiations continue between general manager Don Waddell and agent Pat Brisson. Waddell said Monday that he had spoken with Brisson and believed there had been progress, but there is still no contract in place.
The sticking point appears to be both money and term. Columbus reportedly has explored a long-term extension around $12 million annually, and Fantilli’s camp has not agreed to that framework. Earlier reporting said the two sides had exchanged proposals and counteroffers, but they were still apart.
That’s not hard to understand given the season Fantilli just put together. He scored 24 goals and added 35 assists for 59 points in 82 games in 2025-26.
He also averaged 18:54 of ice time, delivered 139 hits and took more than 1,100 faceoffs. Columbus clearly sees him as a top-line center and a key piece of what comes next.
The Blue Jackets do have room to make a major commitment, but a Fantilli extension would change the rest of their financial picture. A bridge deal would keep some flexibility intact and give him another shot at boosting his value.
A long-term agreement would buy certainty, but at a much bigger cap hit. For now, the two sides are still trying to close the gap, and Columbus wants him available for opening night.
Edvinsson’s situation in Detroit has been more straightforward, at least on the surface. The 23-year-old defenseman reported to camp and skated with the Red Wings at their first practice, even though he remains unsigned. He did not take part in a full-contact scrimmage, but he was there, and that matters.
Detroit interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has said the club wants to get a deal done soon, and Edvinsson has also sounded optimistic that an agreement can be reached before the season starts. The Red Wings have every reason to move quickly.
Edvinsson finished 2025-26 with nine goals and 16 assists in 72 games, while logging 22:21 per night, finishing plus-12, and handling a heavy defensive load. He also had 94 hits and 148 blocked shots.
Those numbers tell the story of a player becoming a trusted top-four defenseman. Detroit values his size, mobility and reach, and the team has leaned on him in tough matchups. He is not being treated like a replaceable piece.
There was also a front-office wrinkle earlier this month, when reports indicated Edvinsson’s representatives wanted clarity on the organization’s general manager situation before pushing talks ahead. That issue is now in the rearview, with Horcoff handling the negotiation.
Edvinsson is still eligible to sign an offer sheet, but there has been no real sign another club is about to jump in. The Red Wings just need to settle on the right number and term.
Carolina’s Nikishin case is the most complicated of the three. The 24-year-old defenseman did not report when Hurricanes camp opened because he remains without a contract. General manager Eric Tulsky confirmed that absence and offered little certainty about when it might end.
“We’re working to find a resolution,” Tulsky said last week. “All I can say is that today he’s not under contract. We’re playing it day by day.”
Nikishin has already shown why Carolina wants him in the fold. In his rookie season, he put up 11 goals and 22 assists in 81 games, added 132 hits and 94 blocks, and averaged 18:11 per game. He also finished plus-18 for a Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup.
The problem is that the relationship has been strained by an offseason trade request. Reports have said his camp has explored a change of scenery, while Carolina has not completed a trade. The Hurricanes still hold his NHL rights after issuing a qualifying offer, so he cannot sign an offer sheet elsewhere.
That leaves Carolina with a difficult choice: keep working toward a multi-year deal, try to trade him for meaningful value, or let the situation drag into the early part of the season. None of those paths is ideal for a team trying to defend its championship. Nikishin has already shown he can contribute at both ends and handle a regular role, and whatever Carolina decides next could affect its blue-line depth right away.
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