Following the recent wave of new deals for young franchise centers, Adam Fantilli stands as the last major RFA still waiting to cash in, and the clues around the league point to a contract that should land squarely in elite territory.
The market started shifting before summer even fully arrived, when Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell made it clear nobody wanted to be the first one to set the price. That hesitation held for a while, with each player seemingly waiting for someone else to establish the number.
Then July 3 changed everything. The Philadelphia Flyers signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet, a move that pushed the market far beyond what most people expected. Anaheim matched, keeping its No. 1 center, but the deal came in at an AAV that is probably at least $4 million higher than it should be.
That number looks even more significant next to Connor Bedard’s five-year deal at a $15 million AAV. Among the players selected in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard is the one who should carry the highest contract value, not just because he went first, but because he has been the best player in the NHL so far.
And then came another major benchmark today, when San Jose signed Macklin Celebrini to a five-year extension worth a record-breaking $18.8 million AAV. That price tag fits, given that Celebrini is already, arguably, the best player in the league.
Put those deals together, and Fantilli’s next contract starts to look pretty easy to map out. The Blue Jackets’ young center is in line for a deal that should make him the highest-AAV player in franchise history, and the structure appears likely to follow the same five-year pattern.
That five-year term has become the common thread in these top-end contracts. It gives the player a huge jump from the entry-level deal while still getting him back to the market in his mid-20s, with a chance at another big payday before the end of his prime.
With that in mind, Aaron Portzline’s suggested range of a $13 million to $14 million cap hit feels right on target. Split the difference, and Fantilli lands at five years and $13.5 million per season.
By average annual value, that would be the biggest contract in Blue Jackets history. In total money, it would trail only Johnny Gaudreau’s $68.25 million deal from 2022, though a higher cap hit would put Fantilli ahead there too.
That’s the going rate now for elite No. 1 centers. If Fantilli signs in that range, it should fit just fine for both sides. And given how the market has moved, Columbus can probably be grateful he hasn’t taken an offer sheet.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Fans Are Devastated By Another Brutal Team Decision
The Blue Jackets are making a notable change to how fans will hear games next season, announcing that TV audio will be simulcast over the radio. For a lot of listeners, this is more than a technical tweak. It changes a familiar part of the game-night routine and comes after years of Bob McElligott becoming one of the most recognizable voices in the teams broadcast mix, helped along by his popular Monday Mailbag segment.
The reaction has been swift and mostly unhappy, with fans and commentators taking the move as another reminder of how much can shift when money enters the picture. The decision appears tied at least in part to financial considerations after the team lost a sponsorship deal, leaving the broadcast side of the operation facing a different reality. What had felt like a steady piece of Blue Jackets identity now looks like one more thing being reshaped, and not everyone is ready to accept the tradeoff. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Core Suddenly Faces Pressure This Franchise Cant Ignore
The Blue Jackets enter the new season with more than just a playoff chase hanging over the roster. After an offseason that already featured a trade demand from Zach Werenski before it was later withdrawn, the front office and coaching staff are watching a core group that has to make real progress if Columbus is going to climb back into the postseason picture. Kirill Marchenko, Jet Greaves, Adan Fantilli, Kent Johnson and Valeri Nichushkin all sit in different spots on that pressure spectrum, but the common thread is the same: the Jackets need development, stability and production to arrive together.
Fantillis contract situation has become one of the biggest talking points in the building, while Johnsons path back to impact is tied to a bounce-back season after a rough year. Greaves remains part of the conversation as the club sorts out its goaltending picture, and Nichushkin is viewed through the lens of whether his size and skill can translate into the kind of consistent presence Columbus needs. For a team trying to turn promise into results, the margin for patience is getting thinner by the day. [Read more 🡒]