The Columbus Blue Jackets’ season is over. They finished two points out of a playoff spot, when most had written them off completely in October. Talk about progess.
This campaign was certainly one of catharsis for the organization. Aside from Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death that rocked the hockey world last August, the Blue Jackets were in turmoil over the last several seasons. Needing a change at the top after previous hero general manager (GM) Jarmo Kekalainen lived long enough to see himself become the villain, three failed head coaching hires, star players wanting new homes, and more. It was time for some upheaval.
The new broom swept clean, brought in Don Waddell as GM and Dean Evason as head coach, and removed everyone not invested in the organization’s long-term growth. There’s been an aura of community, hope, and optimism surrounding the team since puck drop on opening night of the 2024-25 season. One of the biggest generators of that optimism has been the young upstart, Adam Fantilli. He was the beacon of optimism and everything about him sang “just happy to be here” in his 2023-24 rookie season, and that energy followed in 2024-25.
Fantilli’s First Full Season a Success
Fantilli’s rookie season was on track to put him in Calder Trophy consideration – with 27 points in 49 games, he was on pace to start his career with 20 goals and 45 points. A freak accident cut those plans short as he suffered a calf laceration in a game against the Seattle Kraken at the end of Jan. 2024. His season ended that day.
He brought his trademark combination of skill and positive vibes back to the lineup for the start of this season and has been an invaluable part of the forward corps. After playing most of last season on the wing, he’s become a fixture down the middle and even stepped up as the interim number-one center when Sean Monahan was out with a wrist injury to help keep the team in playoff contention.
He plays a physical brand of hockey, dishing out 113 hits, and has been durable, as one of only four Blue Jackets to suit up for all 82 games. As any young player will have struggles, he twice went more than five or more games without a point. He did take a step in the right direction though, finding his way to the scoresheet in exactly half of the games he played (41 of 82) and had 10 multi-point efforts.
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His production ratcheted up when the calendar flipped to 2025 with points in 28 of 43 games after Jan. 1. He also had 24 goals and 39 of his 54 points in those final 43 games. If he’s able to hold that pace through a full season, he’d have 45 goals and 75 points. Since he actually hit 31 goals and 54 points and it was only his age-20 season, it’s really not out of the question to believe he’s capable of hitting that pace and maybe more.
Fantilli Is Proving to Be Capable of Becoming a Franchise Center
There’s one thing the Blue Jackets have never had: a legitimate number-one center capable of leading the franchise into a period of success. The last time they were successful they built from the net out, with multi-Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky tending the twine, aa myriad of excellent defenders capable of keeping the puck away from the net, and blue-collar forwards whose hard work generated goals. This next era has been built differently and Fantilli could be that first elite, number-one center.
Yes, he has some things to work on to continue his development in 2025-26. His consistency over a full season and his faceoff winning percentage – which was only 41.3% in 2024-25 – top the list. Those are things totally normal of a young center with a very bright future ahead. The Blue Jackets should be very happy with their third overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, because he took leaps forward in the 2024-25 season.
