It’s been a good summer to be a young NHL player in need of a new contract.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli became the latest player to cash in on Thursday, finally signing a new contract to get him into camp before the start of the 2026-27 season.
The 21-year-old was one of three unsigned restricted free agents still remaining this preseason, and he was finally able to get a six-year, $82.5 million contract. That comes out to a $13.75 million salary-cap number that will make him, by average yearly salary, the fifth-highest-paid player in the NHL this season.
Blue Jackets pay Adam Fantilli, and now he has to produce
In terms of what Fantilli has done so far in the NHL, the $13.5 million salary-cap number seems like an outrageous number. In previous offseasons, it would have been. But the NHL has changed dramatically this summer due to the rapid rise of the league’s salary cap in the coming seasons, as well as some of the other contracts that have already been signed.