Fantilli Projected to Earn $13 Million a Year: Leo Carlsson Has Really Broken into the Market

Mathis Therrien
Fantilli Projected to Earn $13 Million a Year: Leo Carlsson Has Really Broken into the Market
Credit: Ben Jackson/Getty Images

The $90 million, five-year hostile offer made to Leo Carlsson really sent shockwaves throughout the National Hockey League.

Seeing the Philadelphia Flyers offer that much money—$18 million a year—to the Anaheim Ducks forward has completely changed the way contracts are negotiated and signed.

In fact, there has been plenty of evidence of this ever since the Flyers matched the Anaheim Ducks' offer.

Several players have secured much more money than expected—and than they deserved—since Carlsson's $18 million-a-year deal, and this trend shows no signs of stopping.

I'm thinking, for example, of Yegor Chinakhov ($6.25 million), Pavel Mintyukov ($7.2 million), and Simon Nemec ($7.25 million), who have clearly benefited from the “Carlsson effect.”

Let's not forget the young stars like Trevor Zegras ($9.125 million), Connor Bedard ($15 million), and Macklin Celebrini ($18.8 million), who are all excellent players but who clearly secured higher salaries thanks to Carlsson.

If it hadn't been for that crazy signing, I don't think contracts would have skyrocketed so quickly.

The most recent example is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli, who is projected to earn around $13 million per year over five years, according to Aaron Portzline.

Indeed, as stated in a recent episode of NHL Tonight, this is the projection for Fantilli's next contract ahead of the 2026–2027 season.

Fantilli is an excellent player, and at 21, he still has the potential to improve significantly, but the fact remains that $13 million for a young player who recorded only 59 points in 82 games last season is a huge sum—and clearly too much.

Yes, Fantilli also scored 31 goals the previous season, but the fact remains that he hasn't yet broken out in the way we know he could if he reaches his full potential.

This is therefore a massive projection in his case, and it's clear that it's due to the “Leo Carlsson effect,” which has seriously distorted the contract market in the National Hockey League.

All of this reminds us once again just how masterfully the Montreal Canadiens have managed their contracts, as none of their top players earns more than $9.5 million—which is Noah Dobson's salary.

Ivan Demidov, who already tallied more points than Fantilli—62 points—in his first NHL season, signed an eight-year deal worth $9.15 million per year, which is nearly $4 million less than what Fantilli stands to earn.

It's incredible how much this will benefit the Habs in the coming years.


In a Nutshell

– To be continued.

– Read this.

– Very cool.

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