The Blue Jackets have ended their contract impasse with Adam Fantilli, signing the restricted free agent to a six-year, $82.5 million agreement after he missed the start of training camp.
The agreement, announced Thursday, carries an average annual value of $13.75 million and runs through the 2031–32 season. Fantilli had been a restricted free agent after completing the first three seasons of his NHL career.
He produced a career-high 59 points last season, finishing with 24 goals and 35 assists while appearing in all 82 games. It was his second consecutive full regular season, following a 31-goal campaign in 2024–25.
Columbus selected Fantilli third overall in the 2023 draft. He has since accumulated 67 goals and 73 assists in 213 games, joining Rick Nash and Pierre-Luc Dubois as the only Blue Jackets players with multiple 20-goal seasons before turning 22.
The contract followed a change in the market for young centers. General manager Don Waddell said earlier in camp that Philadelphia’s offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, which Anaheim matched at five years and $90 million, had affected the negotiations.
“I think the offer sheet definitely changed the marketplace a little bit, and we’ve recognized that,” Waddell said September 16, according to NHL.com.
Waddell also said Columbus had increased its offer over the course of the summer. The length of the agreement remained part of the discussion as the club and player worked toward a long-term settlement.
Coach Rick Bowness had said he expected Fantilli to be ready when he joined the team. Bowness also said the center had asked for greater responsibility at their end-of-season meeting, a request the coaching staff intended to accommodate.
Columbus opens the season at home against Buffalo on October 1 after missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. The Blue Jackets finished 40–30–12 last season, with their 92 points representing their best total since 2018–19.
Fantilli enters that season after setting personal highs in assists, points, power-play goals and shots. His 20 even-strength goals tied for the team lead, while his average ice time rose to 18 minutes, 54 seconds across the regular season.
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