Adam Fantilli is the future of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and with him needing a new deal, many fans are worried that he won't get signed before July 1st, leading to an offer sheet that the CBJ won't be able to afford.
I'm here to tell you that there's nothing to worry about. At least, that's my humble opinion.
GM Don Waddell will get Fantilli signed soon; the only real question is whether it's a short bridge or a long-term deal. The Blue Jackets undoubtedly want a long-term, max-type deal. With the rising cap, locking him in now with a max-term deal would be a discount in the coming years.
Fantilli, on the other hand, may want to a shorter contract to take advantage of the cap rise in a few years. It's an interesting situation.
But why is it taking so long? Waddell told The Hockey Writers Mark Scheig today “Fantilli, I think, is waiting to see what happens with Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier. Nobody wants to go first. Instead of spinning my wheels, I’m focused on other things. They’ll get signed eventually for sure."
Waddell goes on to say, "It just doesn’t seem to be a high priority right now from their side, so we’re going to continue to do our business, the things that have to be done now."
Not a high priority? That's the only thing that catches my attention. Why wouldn't it be a high priority? Waddell answered that question above when he said they're waiting for Bedard, Carlsson, and Gauthier.
Obviously, Bedard will set the market for those four players, and the other three will fall in line at a lower AAV.
Somebody needs to make the first move, but we still have two weeks until it becomes a critical issue. Even with all that said, I still think the Jackets will get Fantilli signed long-term, and this will be a non-issue in less than two weeks.
Don't panic, Adam Fantilli will be a Blue Jacket for the next 4-8 years at minimum.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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