Now that the terms are finalized, the Blue Jackets can look ahead to their new season with their #1 center locked up. With that contract comes a lofty set of expectations, and it's now time for Adam Fantilli to deliver.
The formula is quite simple: If this team is legitimately going to turn the corner and become a playoff team or a legitimate contender, Fantilli's contract dictates that he has to be a big part of it. In fact, depending on what happens with Zach Werenski in the long-term, Mo is now the centerpiece of whatever this franchise is building.
That means that despite missing most of training camp, there can be no excuses this year. This team can ill afford to have him wait until December to get started, like he has in each of the last two campaigns. They need #19 to come flying out of the gate, playing at a point-per-game pace.
Fair or not, that's what his contract dictates. He held out for that kind of money, which is his right. As a matter of fact, I'm happy that he got this deal in Columbus. But, now it's on him to live up to those loftier goals.
Putting it all together is the key.
Throughout his first three seasons with the Blue Jackets, we have seen quite the development arc with Fantilli. Beginning in his rookie campaign, we saw flashes of brilliance on a bad team; but his season was ultimately cut short due to a horrific skate blade laceration.
That bought him some grace heading into his sophomore campaign. So, when he took a few months to really get going, we weren't really surprised or upset. Actually, by the end of the year, he was starting to play like the #1 center we knew he was destined to become.
Which makes what happened last year, really confusing. He didn't really get going until the new year, and by that time, this team had fired its head coach. It wasn't only on Fantilli; the whole team slept through the first half of the season.
But again, for the second straight year, we were treated to something magical down the stretch. In his final 41 games, he scored 12 goals and 34 points. Exacerbate that out over the full season, it would have been 24 goals and 68 points-more than enough to justify his massive payday.
Though, that wasn't the case. The slow start was crippling to his overall campaign, and honestly probably cost him at least a little bit of money on his new contract. Still, Mo set career a new career-high last year with 59 points (24 goals).
Now, he is going to be the 5th-highest paid player in the NHL this season. He's paid to be an elite pro, so it's time to start playing like an elite pro. A slow start is simply unacceptable. I fully expect him to emerge as an 80+ point threat this year, right out of the gate.
If he does not, everything that we have waited to see come together might all be for nothing. Does this team miss the playoffs if they can't get 80 points out of any of their forwards? Does that cost them their star defenseman? Does that start turning other guys away and kick everything back into a rebuild?
While I'm happy to see Fantilli locked down for the duration of whatever is about to come, I am still quite concerned. All of this hinges on his own ability to put it all together and become the player we know he can be.
What is that player? At his best, Fantilli is a guy who uses his 6'2" frame and elite skating ability to put defenders on their heels. He also uses that size and skating ability to put them on their rears, from time to time. He has a terrific release, the kind that should make him a 30-goal threat that can score from anywhere in the offensive zone.
He's also a dogged competitor on the defensive side of the puck, where his game has shown vast improvements over his three years in the league. He has also taken great strides in the faceoff dot. I'm not sure he'll ever be a Nathan MacKinnon or Connor McDavid type of scorer, but I also don't think that's out of his reach. He's that good.
Really, the key now is just putting it all together on a consistent, night-in, night-out basis. If he can do that, this team is going places. Fingers crossed.
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