Blue Jackets lock up Adam Fantilli with massive contract extension
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Adam Fantilli has signed a six-year, $82.5 million extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets, carrying a $13.75 million cap hit through 2031-32.
The wait is finally over in Columbus.
Fantilli, the Blue Jackets top center, had been holding out from training camp for more than a week as his camp and the front office worked to close the gap on a new deal.
That gap closed fast once Cutter Gauthier reset the 2023 draft class market with his six-year, $13.5 million deal in Anaheim, and the Fantilli number landed right above it.
Elliotte Friedman broke the news first, and the numbers matched what insiders had been circling for weeks.
Why the deal makes sense for both sides
Fantilli, 21, put up 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points last season, a slight dip in goals but a career high in points and assists.
He is coming off a three year entry level deal after going third overall in the 2023 draft, the same class that produced Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson.
Pierre LeBrun reported Fantilli's camp had preferred a shorter term of four or five years, so Columbus getting a sixth year locked in at this rate counts as a real win for general manager Don Waddell.
What comes next for the Blue Jackets
With Fantilli signed, Columbus now has its top center locked up long term alongside Zach Werenski on the blue line, giving the franchise a real foundation heading into the season.
The Blue Jackets open their regular season slate in just over a week, and Fantilli will now be able to focus on hockey instead of contract talks as camp rounds into form.
This is the richest deal in franchise history for a player his age, and it signals Columbus believes its rebuild is closer to paying off than most expected.
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