The Columbus Blue Jackets are staring at a simple but uncomfortable question: if an offer sheet lands for Adam Fantilli, do they match it no matter the number?
That’s the debate swirling around Columbus after the Philadelphia Flyers set off a firestorm last week by giving Leo Carlsson an offer sheet. Once that happened, Blue Jackets fans started wondering whether their own young center could become the next target. Some around the league have even asked whether Philadelphia would turn its attention to Columbus if Carlsson were no longer available.
The argument against matching usually comes back to the price. Some fans and media voices have floated the idea that the Blue Jackets should be willing to take the four first-round picks instead of paying whatever number another team puts on the table. But the case for Columbus is much more direct: if Fantilli is the future of the franchise, then the team has to keep him.
That means matching anything that comes in, whether it’s $15 million, $18 million or even $20 million. If the Blue Jackets truly believe in him, the move has to be about proving they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. Anything less only feeds the idea that Columbus isn’t aggressive enough.
There’s also the practical side of the compensation. Those four first-round picks would likely land in the 15-to-20 range, which is where the Blue Jackets have been drafting recently. And while those picks could be flipped, the last two drafts suggest those mid-first-round selections may not bring back anything that changes the franchise.
The bigger hope for Columbus is that Fantilli wants to stay and never gets to the point of signing an offer sheet in the first place. What’s happening in negotiations between Fantilli and the Blue Jackets isn’t public, but the Carlsson situation clearly threw a wrench into things.
The comparison is easy to see. Fantilli and Carlsson have similar numbers, and both are viewed as long-term top-line centers. With Carlsson set to become the highest paid player in the league soon, it’s fair to wonder whether Fantilli would want the same kind of deal.
An $18 million annual salary shocks a lot of fans, especially in a league that hasn’t always lived at that level. But the cap is rising, teams have to spend, and salaries are going to keep climbing. Someone in Columbus is going to break through the $10-15 million range in the next few years, whether that’s Fantilli this season or Zach Werenski in two years.
So the real question isn’t whether Fantilli is worth it. The answer there is yes.
The question is whether the Blue Jackets believe he is. That part, soon enough, will be settled.
In Other News...
Former Flames Pest Lands In Columbus With Some Awkward History
Ryan Lomberg is the latest free-agent addition to give the Blue Jackets bottom six a different edge, signing on for two years after carving out a reputation as one of the leagues more irritating energy forwards. Columbus is bringing him in to do the kind of work that rarely shows up in a highlight package but tends to matter over a long season, with the expectation that he can help drive the fourth line alongside players such as Mathieu Olivier and Erik Gudbranson.
Lomberg arrives with a familiar NHL resume that includes time in Calgary and Florida, where he was part of the Panthers Stanley Cup run in 2024. For Columbus, the appeal is obvious: pace, bite and a willingness to make shifts uncomfortable for opponents. The awkward part is just as obvious for anyone who has followed his path through the league, because this is the sort of signing that tends to come with a little extra history attached. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face A Summer Contract Standoff They Cannot Mishandle
The Blue Jackets still have a few key summer items hanging in the balance, and the biggest ones involve three restricted free agents who matter to the clubs long-term core. Adam Fantilli remains in talks, while Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves are also without new deals as Columbus works through a tricky stretch of contract business that could shape the roster well beyond this season.
For the front office, the challenge is finding the right balance between keeping flexibility and locking in players before the market gets more complicated. Bridge-style contracts are being weighed for Sillinger and Greaves, but those talks now sit against a tighter timeline and the possibility of a decision being made outside the teams control, which is exactly the kind of summer standoff Columbus can ill afford to botch. [Read more 🡒]