You feel that, CBJ fans? It's hockey cottage season.
Late July through the beginning of September is the true dead zone of the NHL calendar. The classic Canadian‑lake‑cottage trope, the one Heated Rivalry leans into, isn’t just fiction; it’s basically documentary‑level accurate. Scroll through your favorite player’s Instagram stories or TikTok reels and you’ll see what I mean: docks, boats, sunsets, and absolutely nothing resembling hockey news.
I bring this up, because Jackets fans, myself included, aren't quite ready for the cottage season to begin. There's still a big piece of news we're waiting on: Adamo Fantilli's extension announcement.
As of the evening of August 4th, the former third‑overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft is still without a contract for the 2026–27 season. If the season somehow started today (it doesn’t), Mo wouldn’t be eligible to play for the Blue Jackets, or anywhere in the NHL. He’s effectively in limbo until pen meets paper.
So, what's the hold up? Why does the future face of the franchise in Columbus not have a deal for the upcoming season? There's a number of reasons for that.
The young center contract market suddenly, and violently, exploded in value.
Danny Briere, the General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, upended the entire restricted free agent market when he offered a 5-year, $18m AAV contract to Leo Carlsson, which Carlsson accepted. Even though it was ultimately matched by Carlsson's current club, the Anaheim Ducks, Carlsson quickly became the highest paid player in the NHL.
That was quickly upended by the extension of Macklin Celebrini at 5 years and $18.8m AAV beginning in 2027-2028. With 2023 first overall pick of Connor Bedard also extended at 5-years, $15m AAV, the market was certainly set for young, top pick centermen.
Most contract projections now have Adam Fantilli at around a 5-year, $13m-$14m deal, up from what I expected at around $11m AAV earlier this summer. That kind of change in value, suddenly, forces both sides to quickly reconsider and almost begin fresh in negotiations. That leads to my second point.
Unlike Greaves and Sillinger, Fantilli doesn't have an immediate deadline.
One of several good things about the salary arbitration process is that it gives all parties involved in the negotiations a firm deadline of when a contract for the upcoming season will be completed. Jet Greaves and Sole Sillinger had to settle or enter the arbitration hearings, and had a firm deadline under all circumstances as a result.
Blue Jackets General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Don Waddell has said more than once that arbitration deadlines are helpful because they force everyone to the table. With Greaves and Sillinger carrying arbitration pressure and Fantilli not, the Jackets had a natural order of operations, resolve the clock‑sensitive cases first, then turn fully to the franchise‑cornerstone negotiation.
Fantilli's deadline is technically December 1st at 5 PM, or else he won't be able to play for the entire season, but more realistically it's by the beginning of training camp. A young forward won't want to miss crucial development and training time with his relatively new coach. But, without that firm deadline... extension negotiations can be pushed back.
The cap, and general financials, seem tight at this time.
If Fantilli’s expected AAV lands around $13.5 million, the Blue Jackets will be paying out roughly $104 million in actual salary next season, essentially right at the cap. That alone puts pressure on how the roster is constructed moving forward.
But it’s also impossible to ignore the broader financial picture. Columbus hasn’t had the revenue boost of home playoff games in seven straight seasons, and that drought will hit eight by the time the 2027 postseason arrives.
For a small‑market club that posted only about $19 million in net operating income last year, per Forbes estimates, that’s not a trivial concern. Add in the recent high‑visibility departures of radio voice Bob McElligott, Jackets Insider Jeff Svoboda, and the abrupt end of the team’s long‑profitable RSN relationship, and the organization’s financial footing looks more precarious now than it has in years.
There are still reasons to be hopeful if you're a Jackets fan. There are. But the lack of an extension for the team's future face of the franchise is at least a bit concerning, and the more days that pass given the recent poor press swirling around the team, the more anxious it's natural to become.
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