Waddell 'confident' Blue Jackets will sign Fantilli to contract 

COLUMBUS -- Adam Fantilli will not be with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they open training camp on Thursday, but general manager Don Waddell remains optimistic that a new contract can be reached with the restricted free agent forward.

Fantilli was scheduled to center the top line with Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko at the first practice. Instead, the 21-year-old was absent when the players underwent physicals on Wednesday.

"As of Friday, Saturday, we were still talking and I always say when you're talking, you'll eventually find a deal," Waddell said. "… This is the business side of our sport. Is there a difference of the value that we put on the player versus what (the player/agent are) putting on? Yes, and that's why we don't have a contract on that. But I'm still confident that we'll find a resolution to this here in the near future."

Waddell said talks have been amicable with Fantilli, and his agent, Pat Brisson, but there has been no advancement since the weekend.

"We're going to send something probably in the next 24 hours back to him just to see. … we want to keep this thing moving," Waddell said.

Fantilli set an NHL career-high with 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games for the Blue Jackets last season. He had 13 power-play points (four goals), three game-winning goals and led them with two overtime goals.

Waddell admitted the contract talks in the past few months were altered after the Philadelphia Flyers made an offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson. The Ducks retained Carlsson by signing him to five-year, $90 million contract with an average annual value of $18 million.

"I think the offer sheet definitely changed the marketplace a little bit, and we've recognized that," Waddell said. "From where we were early in the summer, to where we are now, we've come up quite a bit. So, we recognize there has been a change in the landscape, but it's still a young player that obviously we're talking about long-term contracts.

"The term is always the question mark with all these young players trying to go short term and we'll see how that plays out."

The No. 3 pick by Columbus in the 2023 NHL Draft, Fantilli has 140 points (67 goals, 73 assists) in 213 regular-season games.

Those numbers are similar to Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in that draft, who has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 NHL games.

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023, signed a five-year, $75 million contract ($15 million AAV) on July 18.

"You've got to look at it that for the sake of the team, the sooner we get it done, the better," Waddell said. "We feel like we're heading in the right direction. Do I get worried about it? No, I feel pretty confident it's going to get done. We'd like to get it done sooner than later. I know Adam wants to be here, echoed that, but I'm not going to start worrying about it until we don't have a deal done."

Coach Rick Bowness knows missing any time is critical because of the shortened camp schedule implemented this season, including four preseason games compared to as many as eight previously, with the regular season expanded to 84 games. Veterans with at least 100 games of NHL experience are limited to a maximum of two preseason games.

"It's out of my hands, unfortunately," Bowness said Wednesday. "I will tell you that (Fantilli) called me last night and we had a great conversation. And listen, his heart's in the right place. He loves being here. He loves being a Blue Jacket. And as I told him last night, I'm not worried about him one bit. When he comes here mentally and physically, he'll be ready to go."

The Blue Jackets (40-30-12) finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and had 92 points last season, their most since 2018-19 (98 points), but failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season.

"He's a good kid. He's worked incredibly hard all summer," Bowness said of Fantilli. "We had a great end of the year meeting. He wanted more responsibility. We're going to give it to him. There's no question about that. He's ready for it. So, is he disappointed that he's not here? Yeah, he is. But there's a business side of it that coaches don't get involved with, and I do know, again, I trust him. I believe in him and I know when he comes, he'll be ready to go."