Adam Fantilli is still without a new contract, and Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell is starting to hear about it.
Aaron Portzline reported on the Athletic Hockey Show that Waddell has taken real criticism for not getting Fantilli locked up earlier this summer.
But Portzline also noted that Fantilli's camp reportedly didn't want to be at the table yet either.
NHL Rumour Report shared that update Sunday, and it points to something bigger than one unsigned player.
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Hitting July 1st without a deal has become an actual strategy now for high end restricted free agents, not just a Columbus problem.
Fantilli is coming off a strong season, posting 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points across all 82 games at just 21 years old.
Could a rival use an offer sheet on Fantilli?
He's still on a cap hit of just $950,000, the kind of bargain number that makes rival teams pay attention when a young star sits unsigned.
Columbus finished 40-30-12 for 92 points last season, 18th overall, a group that badly needs Fantilli locked in long term as a building block.
An offer sheet on a talent like this isn't out of the question if another front office decides the compensation cost is worth the gamble.
Would a rival GM actually pull the trigger on that, knowing Columbus could match almost anything reasonable?
Waddell has real leverage here even under criticism, since matching an offer sheet is usually the easier move for a team that wants to keep its young core together.
The waiting game benefits both sides in theory, but it only stays that way until an outside team decides patience isn't required.
Nothing about this situation is urgent yet, and no team has been named as a real threat.
But the longer Fantilli stays unsigned, the more that question sits out there for every rival GM watching Columbus's cap sheet.
Should another team try to offer sheet Adam Fantilli while he's unsigned?
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