Deal Done: Adam Fantilli Signs Long-Term Extension with Blue Jackets

Elliotte Friedman is the first to report that Adam Fantilli has signed his extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The deal is six years and comes with an AAV of $13.75 million. The team’s No. 1 center is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he scored 59 points in 82 games.

ADAM’S LOCKED IN FOR 6 MO YEARS!!!! 🤩

We’ve signed F Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million contract!

📝 https://t.co/JhmKMRS0y7

CBJ x @OHHeartofitAll pic.twitter.com/Y3gQCehdo0

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 24, 2026

Fantilli’s contract standoff with the Blue Jackets is over. The 21-year-old center has agreed to a longer term than what most expected. Pierre LeBrun reported Fantilli’s camp preferred four or five and the Blue Jackets are getting an extra year out of the deal at a fairly reasonable rate.

The number follows Cutter Gauthier‘s six-year, $13.5 million extension in Anaheim, which reset the market for the 2023 draft class. Fantilli missed the start of training camp, but he can now rejoin his teammates. For a franchise dealing with several distractions this fall, this removes the biggest one.

“Adam Fantilli has all of the tools you look for in a player – speed, size, skill – along with a competitive drive to succeed,” said Blue Jackets GM and President of Hockey Operations Don Waddell. “He is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL and a big part of what we are building in Columbus, so this is a very exciting day for our organization and our fans. “

Next: Friedman Breaks Down Why Messier’s Babcock Comments Are Complicated