Adam Fantilli: A Good Idea of the Amount (and the Contract’s Effects)

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Adam Fantilli: A Good Idea of the Amount (and the Contract’s Effects)
Credit: Ben Jackson/Getty Images

Adam Fantilli hasn't signed a contract yet.

Naturally, the Columbus Blue Jackets have to start getting worried. After all, a young player missing training camp is never a good sign.

It could have repercussions for months…

Except that the good news is that Don Waddell (widely regarded as the GM with the most control over his team in modern history) and Pat Brisson are nearing an agreement.

Note: I didn't say it was imminent, but rather that they're getting close.

According to Darren Dreger, the annual salary has pretty much been set and will be over $13 million per season. The only question remaining is how many years the contract will be for.

Right now, that's the crux of the matter.

 

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Naturally, this contract will have consequences. And one of them will be whether the player harbors any resentment toward his organization following the salary negotiations.

Basically, if it's a mid-term deal, it'll be fine since Fantilli will get what he wants. But if Columbus comes out on top and it's a long-term deal, that could upset the player.

In any case, if Fantilli signs at that price, the club will have to make room in its salary cap.

After all, right now, the Blue Jackets have $12.5 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. That means the Ohio team will have to free up some salary.

Of course, one could argue that the Montreal Canadiens have a few ideas to help the Blue Jackets free up some money for the future.

Except that…

Kirill Marchenko won't be traded tomorrow morning for prospects. If he is traded for young players, it won't happen until 2027, when Columbus will have less wiggle room.

And in the meantime, any active players who make their way to Columbus would (logically) have an impact on the salary cap. So trading Marchenko to help Fantilli doesn't work, in my view.


Quick Thoughts

– Makes sense.

– Back at practice for the former Red Wings captain.

– Interesting.

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