Blue Jackets News & Rumors: RFA Waiting Game, Ivanov & More

Normally at this time of year, NHL news is very few and far between. This has been no ordinary offseason though. While the heat of the summer is setting in, there is still a lot of things that could happen over the course of this offseason that it may be a good idea to keep your phone or computer close to you.

If you are a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets, that is especially true. It may be July 10 as of this writing, but they have a lot of unfinished business that they need to settle before the season begins.

We begin this week’s edition of Blue Jackets News & Rumors with the RFA situation involving Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves.

RFA Waiting Game

The Leo Carlsson offer sheet situation has been decided. The Anaheim Ducks “easily” matched the five year, $90 million offer sheet tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers. At least it was easy in the eyes of Ducks’ ownership.

There is your initial point of reference from a Fantilli perspective. Carlsson, the number-two pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, will be the highest-paid player in the NHL for a small period of time with his $18 million per season cap hit.

Now it seems like things can start to progress in talks between the Blue Jackets and Fantilli’s camp led by his agent Pat Brisson. As of this writing, there is nothing new to report outside of the sides talking.

The question that many seem to be asking in this situation is when to worry that a Fantilli contract is not done yet. If Carlsson got a massive offer sheet, who’s to say Fantilli won’t get one too? As long as the signature is not on the dotted line, the chance exists that someone would consider an offer sheet.

Let’s remember what GM Don Waddell said at his last press conference on the RFA situation. He said there wasn’t much of an update. He also said he wasn’t worried about the potential of an offer sheet. However, if one was presented, they were prepared to match.

This is a good time to reset the overall situation. Carlsson’s offer sheet was more planned out from a Flyers’ perspective. Multiple reports have suggested the Flyers aren’t expected to pivot to Fantilli. It was more about targeting a player and the situation that player was in on his team.

You also aren’t hearing a lot of “rumors” from national insiders suggesting an offer sheet for Fantilli is imminent. Whether that’s because Carlsson is a leg higher than Fantilli or the belief that the Blue Jackets would match anything, there isn’t a ton of conversation bringing up Fantilli’s name.

That may seem to bode well for the Blue Jackets. After all, it was Waddell who said that he guaranteed all of his RFA’s would be signed before the season.

Here’s where worry would enter the conversation. The longer it goes, then it’s fair to wonder what’s going on. Assuming no offer sheet comes forward, the two sides have the summer to figure things out.

Where it gets interesting is how do the two sides view the aftermath of Carlsson’s offer sheet? He and Fantilli have similar numbers with Fantilli owning a slight edge in goals (.315 per game for Fantilli and .303 per game for Carlsson in their careers.)

We’ve talked about this before, but where is the sweet spot in term and dollars for a number-one center who has their whole career ahead of him? The Blue Jackets would in theory want a longer term. It’s reasonable to think the agent would push for shorter term and higher dollars to maximize money over the long haul.

At this point, it is a waiting game to see how quickly this gets done. The threat of a possible offer sheet could work as leverage for Fantilli if things don’t progress in negotiations. An important and good question to ask here is what did Carlsson’s offer sheet do to Fantilli’s AAV when it’s all said and done?

Besides Fantilli, the Blue Jackets have Sillinger and Greaves both electing salary arbitration. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported Friday that Greaves’ hearing would be July 23 and Sillinger’s hearing would be July 27 in Toronto. No Blue Jacket has ever reached the arbitration room. Waddell also has never gone that far. Unless things are off the rails for some reason, one would expect this to not reach the arbitrator.

Another good question to consider. Do the Blue Jackets have to wait for the end result of Fantilli’s new contract before deciding on where to slot Greaves and Sillinger? If it takes too much of their cap, teams may look at an offer sheet due to a cap squeeze.

We’ll see where it all goes. Ultimately, there isn’t much reason to worry yet. But if this drags on throughout the summer, then perhaps some eyebrows will be raised wondering what’s happening. But so far, everything appears business as usual from a negotiation perspective.

Ivanov Signs

The Blue Jackets were able to get an important piece of business done this week. They have signed goaltender Sergei Ivanov to a two-year entry-level contract.

Of note, the Blue Jackets said in their press release that Ivanov will play this upcoming season in Russia before coming over to North America. As a result, his first year will be burned without a slide due to his age.

The possibility of Ivanov coming over has been known since last year when Waddell said this was the expectation. Ivanov will get one more year of pro experience in the KHL. There is a chance he could come over earlier depending on his season and where the Blue Jackets are at in their season.

Ivanov has put strong numbers together while in Russia. He’s also been one of the top Blue Jackets’ prospects since being drafted given his performance.

The road to a spot in the NHL for Ivanov appears paved for him in 2027-28. That puts the future of Elvis Merzlikins in question. While some have speculated that Merzlikins may be traded this offseason, he’s still on the Blue Jackets with one more year left on his contract.

Will Pheonix Copley push Merzlikins enough to compete for the number-two spot? Copley is expected to start with the Cleveland Monsters. If Merzlikins is on the roster in the fall, how will he fare knowing Ivanov is in waiting?

The Blue Jackets were able to sign one of their top goalie prospects. In the process, the net for 2027-28 and beyond seems to be known.

One of the biggest questions facing the Blue Jackets is what can they do to improve? If Greaves and Ivanov can become a true 1A/1B situation, that would be a huge help towards showing everyone that they can win.

Side Dishes

• The Blue Jackets also signed defenseman Colton White to a two-year, two-way contract. He has spent time with the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks in his career. Waddell called White “a hard-working, reliable defenseman who is positionally sound and moves the puck well.”
• We reported on Tuesday that Cody Ward is the Blue Jackets new video coach. He has spent the last four seasons with the San Jose Sharks as an assistant video coach. While there was no formal announcement from the team yet, the team website is updated to show Ward in that position.
• The Blue Jackets have also yet to say anything about Don Granato joining Rick Bowness’ bench. Waddell was asked about it but danced around the question since nothing official has been said.
• The Blue Jackets also announced a slew of new numbers. Valeri Nichushkin (43), Colton White (6), Pheonix Copley (29), Luke Tuch (71), Ryan Lomberg (94), Oiva Keskinen (20), Jack Williams (92), Luca Del Bel Belluz (93) and Caleb MacDonald (95) each with new digits for the season.