Reported next deal just confirmed for Adam Fantilli with ripple effects for Kirill Marchenko
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Aaron Portzline expects the Columbus Blue Jackets to hand Adam Fantilli a five-year extension worth $13 million to $14 million per season.
That would be the richest cap hit in Blue Jackets history. Portzline told Oilers Now the framework is essentially set.
The money itself is manageable but it will likely spell the end for Kirill Marchenko with the team, especially after he unfollowed the Blue Jackets on Instagram today.
Columbus carries roughly $14.5 million in space, per PuckPedia, against a salary cap that rises from $104 million this season to $113.5 million in 2027-28.
At $13.5 million, Fantilli would cost less than 12 percent of the ceiling within a year. Connor Bedard took $15 million from the Chicago Blackhawks and Leo Carlsson landed $18 million in Anaheim.
The five-year bet and the one-year coach
Fantilli's deal would run through the summer of 2031. Rick Bowness is signed through next June.
Don Waddell gave the 71-year-old a one-year extension on April 16, after Bowness went 21-11-5 in 37 games following his January hiring.
So Columbus is about to make a five-year commitment to a player while the man developing him works on a twelve-month agreement.
Three coaches, three seasons
Fantilli has already played for Pascal Vincent, Dean Evason and Bowness since arriving in 2023.
Bowness turns 72 in January.
That churn shows up in the production. Fantilli set career highs with 35 assists and 59 points in 82 games last season, but his goals fell from 31 to 24.
Columbus missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by six points despite Bowness lifting them from last place in the Eastern Conference.
Waddell is paying franchise-record money for a center who has never had the same system twice.
The AAV is fine. The continuity behind it is the actual risk.
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