Adam Fantilli’s Camp Wants To Wait On Extension Talks With Blue Jackets
Last month, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he planned to initiate extension talks with center Adam Fantilli‘s camp as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract. However, he wasn’t successful in doing so. Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that Fantilli’s camp is unwilling to sign a long-term deal before a pivotal third NHL season that could dramatically increase his market value when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
“We’ve had no negotiations at all,” Waddell told Portzline. “I spoke with (Fantilli’s agent Pat) Brisson last week, and they’re in no hurry from their end. It won’t get done before the season.”
As Portzline emphasizes, the lack of talks shouldn’t be misconstrued as concern over Fantilli’s long-term future in Columbus. In fact, it’s a completely understandable perspective from an incredibly high-ceiling talent who lost some precious development time, missing nearly half his rookie season due to a calf laceration, wanting to make sure he’s paid fairly on a long-term deal.
Of course, it’s also a bet on himself to keep up the momentum he created last season. The 2023 third-overall pick played all 82 games and really began to shine in the back half of the season, clicking at nearly a point-per-game pace after a comparatively slower start to the campaign. All in all, he tallied 31 goals in what was his first fully healthy professional season, tying with Kirill Marchenko for the team lead. He added 23 assists for 54 points to rank fifth on the team in scoring. He didn’t look out of place when trialed in top-line minutes when No. 1 pivot Sean Monahan was out of the lineup for a lengthy stretch later in the year due to a wrist injury, either.
If he signed an extension this offseason, that likely would have commanded a cap hit around $9.5MM on a seven-year pact with the cap projected to jump to at least $104MM for 2026-27, AFP Analytics projects. But if Fantilli can build on his 70-point pace over Columbus’ latter 41 games last year, there’s a strong case for him to dip into the eight-figure range annually and surpass Zach Werenski‘s $9.583MM cap hit as the Jackets’ highest-paid player.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward move from Fantilli’s camp. A long-term offer presumably won’t be on the table if he plateaus this year, resulting in negotiations shifting to a bridge deal and some lost earnings compared to whatever long-term offer is on the table now, at least in the short term.
Whenever extension talks do commence in earnest, cap space won’t be much of a limiting factor. The club has $46.155MM to spend under the projected $104MM limit for 2026-27 with 14 roster spots filled. Their most expensive expiring talent, veterans Charlie Coyle ($5.125MM) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson ($4MM), will almost certainly get pay cuts if they’re re-signed.
Prospect Notes: Luchanko, Yurov, Marrelli
Flyers top center prospect Jett Luchanko spent most of the summer rehabbing a groin issue, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. It kept him out of development camp and, depending on where he’s at in his recovery, may cause him to miss a chunk of rookie camp as well before full training camp gets underway next week. The team remains hopeful he’ll be able to participate in rookie camp, Hall says, although it only kicks off in three days.
This training camp cycle is an important one for Luchanko, who surprised many by making Philly’s NHL roster out of camp last season – just one month after his 18th birthday. The 5’11” pivot was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 draft and, after going pointless in four games for the Flyers, returned to juniors. He had 56 points in 46 games for the OHL’s Guelph Storm before finishing the season with Philly’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he had six assists in seven playoff games.
That strong finish could be a stepping stone to another opening-night job for Luchanko, who the Flyers likely prefer to have in a professional environment based on their generous usage of him thus far in his development. That would mean another NHL stint – the proposed exception to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement that bars him from reporting to Lehigh Valley on a full-time basis isn’t expected to be approved before the start of the season.
There’s more on some other notable NHL up-and-comers:
- On the heels of signing his entry-level contract and his anticipated NHL debut this fall, Wild 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov spoke to The Athletic’s Michael Russo about his offseason preparation. The 21-year-old forward arrived in North America from Russia in mid-July and has been living in New York with one of his U.S.-based agents, he said. He’s been making friends and training with several NY-based NHLers, including Ducks marquee trade pickup Chris Kreider and star Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. The lengthy acclimation period will hopefully boost his chances of making an impact in his rookie season after posting a 34-40–74 scoring line in 108 KHL games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk over the past two seasons.
- Blue Jackets defense prospect Luca Marrelli will be out until at least mid-December after having offseason shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear, general manager Don Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The 19-year-old righty signed his entry-level contract midway through last season and, thanks to his October birthday, will be making his pro debut with AHL Cleveland whenever he returns to health. A 2024 third-round pick, he had an offensive explosion with OHL Oshawa last season, posting 74 points in 67 games before leading his team in playoff scoring with a 6-30–36 line in just 21 appearances. He was named to the CHL’s Third All-Star Team, the OHL’s Second All-Star Team, and led the league in playoff assists.
Blue Jackets Prospect Malte Vass Transfers To Boston University
Sept. 1: Vass has made his college commitment official as Boston University recently announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner will indeed suit up for them this season. He’s their final addition to a class that saw them add multiple NHL draft picks including Ryder Ritchie, Haoxi Wang, and Sacha Boisvert, among others.
Aug. 9: It’s not very often that a player will leave a professional team to go to college but it does happen periodically with international players. It appears that Blue Jackets prospect Malte Vass will be one of them as Varmlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is leaving Sweden to play in the NCAA next season. Which school he has chosen to go to yet remains unknown but Boston University is a school that is believed to have shown interest in him.
Vass was a third-round pick by Columbus last month, going 76th overall. However, he was rated much higher on their draft board as Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch relayed after the draft that the Blue Jackets had Vass within the top 15 in their rankings, a sign that they clearly viewed him as being first-round-worthy.
Vass spent last season in Farjestad’s system, playing predominantly with their junior team where he had 11 points and 53 penalty minutes in 40 games. However, he also got into five games with their SHL club where he was held off the scoresheet. It’s likely that he would have had a chance to get some more action at their top level in 2025-26 but that’s no longer in the cards.
Vass noted that the recent change to allow CHL players to play in the NCAA expedited his decision to come to North America as the spot that’s being made available to him now might not have been available next year, given the number of junior players now seeking a school to play at. It will be interesting to see if other international players start to feel that same pressure and up the urgency to pursue an NCAA spot as well over the next couple of years.
Evason Thought He Was Getting The Seattle Coaching Job Last Summer
- Dean Evason had a solid first year in Columbus, helping lead the Blue Jackets to an improbable late-season playoff push that ultimately came up just short. It turns out he very nearly didn’t have the opportunity to join them as Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch noted in a thorough profile of the bench boss that it looked like he was going to land the head coaching job in Seattle until they decided to promote Dan Bylsma from the AHL to the top job instead. Bylsma, of course, was let go back in April after just one season behind their bench.
Blue Jackets Notes: Fantilli, Provorov, Forward Depth
There’s no question that the Columbus Blue Jackets have one of the cleanest cap tables in the league, especially for how competitive they’re expected to be in the 2025-26 season. Still, as their younger players continue to age, the Blue Jackets are getting closer to potentially having to make difficult decisions, and their extension negotiations with Adam Fantilli will have a major impact on their salary hierarchy moving forward.
Despite having a somewhat disappointing rookie season, albeit limited by injuries, the third overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft responded well last season, scoring 31 goals and 54 points in 82 games while averaging 17:29 of ice time per game. Fantilli still needs to improve in the faceoff dot and on the defensive side of the puck, but being a 30-goal scorer at 20 years old is nothing to scoff at.
In a recent interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Blue Jackets’ General Manager Don Waddell spoke about the upcoming negotiations with Fantilli, saying, We’re going to talk here in the next couple of weeks. Pat Brisson is his agent, and we’re going to do some face-to-face meetings. When these kinds of players are up and these kinds of deals need to be made, I think you need to be in front of each other. I think you make a lot more progress than just over the phone. So that’s always been my theory, and Pat’s the same way. I’ve done a lot of deals over the years with Pat, so we’ll be fine and sit down face-to-face and get this done. As we get closer to training camp, I think we’ll be much further ahead, and we have some dates already planned that we’ll meet, so let’s go from there.”
There technically shouldn’t be any rush on Columbus’s end, given that Fantilli is a few years away from even becoming arbitration-eligible. Still, for the sake of cost certainty and having one of their core pieces locked up long-term, the Blue Jackets are eyeing a long-term extension with Fantilli in the coming weeks.
Waddell also spoke about a separate extension this offseason. On the eve of free agency this summer, Columbus re-signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $59.5MM contract, which represented only a $1.75MM yearly increase on his previous deal. Despite reports at the time indicating that Provorov might seek a larger deal on the open market, Waddell explained in the interview that there was no real concern he’d leave the organization.
Murphy quoted Waddell, saying, “Well, the good thing is I was in dialogue regularly with Mark Andler, his agent, and there’s a lot of outside noise, but Mark kept telling me, and Provorov too, that his first choice was to stay here in Columbus.” Waddell explained that although Provorov’s cap hit may seem high, he believes it will look more favorable as the salary cap increases. Additionally, Provorov’s preparation for each season is expected to enhance his longevity throughout the duration of the contract.
Lastly, Waddell touched on his excitement over the depth the Blue Jackets brought in this summer, particularly on offense. The team specifically targeted Charlie Coyle as a right-handed center and believes his leadership skills will prove a boon to the younger players on the roster.
Meanwhile, the team’s General Manager also remarked about the skill level of Miles Wood on the offensive side of the puck and Isac Lundeström‘s skill on the defensive side of the puck. All three additions are expected to maintain important roles for the Blue Jackets this season and help the team return to the postseason for the first time since the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Prospect Notes: Mania, Whitelaw, Poletin
With NCAA rosters being finalized and CHL training camps starting up soon, there’s been a flurry of activity involving NHL prospects finding new homes to continue their development for 2025-26. One of those names is ex-Kings prospect Matthew Mania, whom Ryan Sikes of Puck Preps reports will play for the University of Michigan after he announced his commitment in June.
Mania, 20, had one year of OHL eligibility remaining as an overager, but taking advantage of it is rare for a prospect with NHL aspirations. He’ll make the jump to a more challenging environment in the Big 10 conference after seeing some stagnant development since L.A. selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.
The 6’1″ right-shot defenseman spent his first three junior seasons with the Sudbury Wolves before getting dealt to the Flint Firebirds last offseason. As would be expected, Mania recorded a career-high 38 assists and 45 points with a +10 rating in 2024-25, but that wasn’t much of a significant pop from his draft-year production with the Wolves three years ago (10-28–38, +21, 67 GP).
Mania joins a Michigan blue line that also landed some younger, higher-profile freshmen for 2025-26, including fellow ex-OHLer and 2024 Flames third-rounder Henry Mews. He’ll look to stand out and eventually earn an NHL contract as a free agent. Since he was drafted out of the CHL, L.A.’s signing rights expired on June 1 of this year and will not be re-extended by virtue of his move to college.
More from the NCAA/CHL world:
- Officially moving on from Michigan after entering the transfer portal months ago is Blue Jackets center prospect William Whitelaw. He’s not going very far, though – reigning national champions Western Michigan announced on Instagram they’ve brought him in for his junior campaign. It’ll be the third school in as many years for the 2023 fifth-rounder, who spent his freshman year at Wisconsin before transferring to Michigan last summer. The undersized (5’9″, 174 lbs) pivot has a 21-14–35 scoring line in 72 career collegiate games.
- After selecting him first overall in this year’s CHL Import Draft, the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets officially announced they’ve signed Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin. The Isles selected Poletin, 18, in the fourth round back in June. The Czech winger spent his draft year in Finland, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 25 games for Pelicans’ under-20 club while also appearing in 15 Liiga games without a point.
Blue Jackets Sign Hudson Fasching To Two-Way Deal
The Blue Jackets have brought in winger Hudson Fasching to the organization on a two-way contract, the team announced. It pays him $775K in the NHL and $250K in the minors with a $350K guarantee, per PuckPedia.
Fasching, 30, was a fourth-round pick out of the University of Minnesota by the Kings back in 2013 but never signed with the organization. L.A. traded his signing rights to the Sabres as part of a larger deal for defenseman Brayden McNabb less than a year after drafting him, and he saw brief action for them and the Coyotes over the years before landing with the Islanders, where he’s logged the bulk of his NHL action.
Fasching spent most of his three seasons with the Isles on the NHL roster, logging a combined 137 games played with a 16-21–37 scoring line and a -1 rating in that time. He also saw time with AHL Bridgeport in each of those years, though, successfully clearing waivers at the beginning of the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons. He logged nine goals and 14 points in 28 minor-league games, although the vast majority of his time there was spent on conditioning stints. He’ll now land with the Jackets, technically his fifth NHL organization, after seeing his already menial role with the Isles decrease last season.
While the 6’3″, 205-lb righty was a high-end scorer in college, earning some Big 10 All-Rookie and All-Star nods during his time with the Golden Gophers, that production never carried over to the pros. Even across his lengthy minor-league career, his production has been apt for a solid top-nine piece but never groundbreaking. He’s averaged 0.53 points per game in parts of nine AHL seasons, never hitting the 40-point mark in a single campaign. He does have some offensive upside at the NHL level, but no matter where he plays, he grades out best as a bang-and-crash checking line piece with decent skill.
Columbus still has some promising forward prospects on the way who will continue to compete for NHL jobs and top-end AHL roles, but they’re light on experienced, high-end NHL/AHL “tweeners” like Fasching. They began to address that problem earlier this summer by re-acquiring 31-year-old Brendan Gaunce for his second stint in the organization, but they’ll add some more muscular depth here with Fasching.
If a name like Luca Del Bel Belluz doesn’t command an opening-night job, there will be a bit of competition for press-box roles. Fasching will have an opportunity to compete with Zach Aston-Reese, Gaunce, and Mikael Pyyhtia.
Blue Jackets Re-Sign Daemon Hunt To Two-Way Deal
The Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Daemon Hunt to a two-way deal for 2025-26, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hunt, 23, was their last remaining unsigned restricted free agent. The Jackets acquired the lefty from the Wild in the David Jiricek trade last November, but he didn’t see any NHL ice for them after the swap.
Instead, the 2020 third-round pick finished the season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he recorded a 2-12–14 scoring line in 48 games with a -8 rating. That marked a step back from his offensive production with Minnesota’s affiliate, the Iowa Wild, in 2023-24, when he produced over half a point per game with 29 in 51 contests.
Near the end of his time with the Wild, Hunt had worked his way up to the No. 8-9 range on Minnesota’s defensive depth chart. He has 13 NHL appearances under his belt, 12 of which came in 2023-24. The Manitoba native played sparingly when dressed, though, recording one assist and averaging only 11:14 per game. He still managed to average two shot attempts per game and posted strong possession numbers in his limited deployment (54.6 CF%, 57.1 xGF% at even strength).
The Blue Jackets’ defense returns unchanged from last season aside from the departure of veteran Jack Johnson, meaning there’s little chance for Hunt to work his way into an opening-night job. Nonetheless, he and prospect Stanislav Svozil are their clear top recall options from Cleveland should they need help on the left side of the blue line throughout the year. Hunt will need to clear waivers if the Jackets want to assign him to Cleveland, though, something he hasn’t had to do before.
Hunt will be a restricted free agent again next summer. The Jackets now have 43 players under contract for 2025-26.
Blue Jackets Sign Mikael Pyyhtia To Two-Way Deal
Blue Jackets RFA Mikael Pyyhtia has signed a two-way deal for 2025-26, the team announced. The winger was one of two remaining RFAs in Columbus alongside defenseman Daemon Hunt.
His deal will carry a league-minimum salary in the NHL and will be accompanied by a $100K AHL salary and a $140K guarantee, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. It’s only the second pro deal Pyyhtia has signed after inking his entry-level contract in 2022.
Pyyhtia, 23, was a fourth-round pick by the Jackets in 2020. He worked his way up the development ladder in the coming years and made his NHL debut in the closing days of the 2022-23 season.
Columbus has slowly increased his NHL workload, up from two games to 17 in 2023-24 before he appeared in 47 contests – over half the team’s games – last season. Routinely serving in the No. 13-15 range on the Jackets’ forward depth chart, the 6’0″ Finnish winger managed four goals and three assists while averaging 12:06 per game. He saw some penalty kill deployment, nearly 1:30 per game.
Overall, Pyyhtia’s possession impacts were fine but underwhelming. He posted a relative Corsi share of -4.5% at even strength with a 57.0 dZS%, and a relative Corsi share of -2.2% on the PK.
He’ll check back in a similar role in 2025-26, with a roster spot out of camp a possibility but not a guarantee. He would need to clear waivers if he doesn’t make the team and is assigned to AHL Cleveland. He’ll compete with veteran depth like Zach Aston-Reese while fending off competition from younger names like Luca Del Bel Belluz and Jack Williams.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up are the Blue Jackets.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Current Cap Hit: $79,157,499 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Adam Fantilli (one year, $950K)
D Denton Mateychuk (two years, $886.7K)
Potential Bonuses
Fantilli: $3.2MM
Mateychuk: $750K
Total: $3.95MM
Fantilli was drafted with the hope that he could become a legitimate number one center. He appears to be on his way to getting there after being moved back down the middle full-time last season while building off his rookie season nicely. The $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses could very well be hit if he progresses as expected in 2025-26, putting him in a good spot to bypass a bridge contract if that’s a route GM Don Waddell wants to go. A long-term agreement could run past the $9MM per season mark.
Mateychuk was a midseason recall and quickly earned the confidence of head coach Dean Evason. He was a very productive blueliner in AHL Cleveland before the promotion but hasn’t had a big chance to showcase that part of his game yet. If he gets that chance this year, he could have a chance to earn some of his three ‘A’ bonuses but if he remains in more of a fourth or fifth role, that will be tricky. As things stand, Mateychuk appears likelier to land a bridge agreement on his next contract but if he locks down a more prominent spot on the depth chart by 2027, that could change.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
F Zach Aston-Reese ($775K, UFA)
F Yegor Chinakhov ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Charlie Coyle ($5.25MM, UFA)
G Jet Greaves ($8.125K, RFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Cole Sillinger ($2.25MM, RFA)
Coyle was acquired from Colorado this offseason to give the Blue Jackets some extra depth down the middle. He’s coming off a quiet year that saw him record just 35 points but he’s only a year removed from a 60-point campaign. Assuming he’s able to get back to at least the 40-point range, Coyle should be able to hit the UFA market next summer with a shot at matching his current price tag on a three or four-year agreement. Jenner has been a very effective two-way center when healthy. However, he has missed significant time in five straight seasons which will affect his next contract. When he’s healthy and in form, he’s a big center who is above average on faceoffs and scores more than 20 goals a season. That player would normally get $6MM or more on the open market. But with the injuries, his market value might dip closer to $5MM or so.
Sillinger just turned 22 and already has four NHL seasons under his belt and has taken some gradual strides offensively but isn’t quite proven as a second-line middleman just yet. Notably, he’ll only be two years away from UFA eligibility next summer while also having arbitration rights. If the sides can’t agree on a long-term pact, a one-year second bridge contract could run the team around $3.5MM while a medium-term agreement might land closer to $5MM per season. On the other hand, if he takes a jump forward and Waddell is ready to lock him up long-term, the price tag could push past the $6MM mark. It’s not often someone this age is in this contractual spot since few 18-year-olds play in the NHL right away and with his development so far, there’s a wide range of outcomes.
Chinakhov has been in the media a lot lately with his trade request being made public in recent weeks. He’s only one year removed from putting up 16 goals in 53 games but injuries and a long stretch as a healthy scratch limited him to just seven in 30 outings last season. If he gets back to his 2023-24 form, he’d be in line for a short-term deal that pushes past $3MM per season but if he’s used as he was down the stretch, he could conceivably enter non-tender territory next summer as well. Aston-Reese was an training camp waiver claim from Vegas last fall and earned this one-year extension soon after. As a fourth liner who typically plays limited minutes, he’s likely to stay at or near the minimum salary moving forward.
Gudbranson’s contract came as somewhat of a surprise three years ago given that he was more of a fourth or fifth defenseman at the time. It actually has held up a bit better than expected although last season was largely a write-off due to injuries. In a perfect world, he should be more of a third-pairing player by the time his next contract begins so at least a small dip should be expected. That said, right-shot defenders often get paid more than expected so perhaps he surprises again.
Greaves needs to get into at least seven NHL games this season with at least 30 minutes played per game to actually remain a restricted free agent. If not, he’d become a Group VI UFA. Considering that he projects to be part of the goaltending tandem next season, it’s safe to say that he’ll easily get there, barring injury. He was a big part of their late-season push but still has just 21 NHL games under his belt right now. A solid showing this season could move him closer to the $2MM mark while if he takes over as the starter moving forward, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him more than double that on a deal that buys out a couple of UFA seasons.
Signed Through 2026-27
D Jake Christiansen ($975K, UFA)
F Kent Johnson ($1.8MM, RFA)
F Isac Lundestrom ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Kirill Marchenko ($3.85MM, RFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins ($5.2MM, UFA)
F Dmitri Voronkov ($4.175MM, RFA)
Voronkov received his bridge deal just last month on the heels of a solid second NHL season that saw him record 24 goals and 23 assists. The short-term contract made sense for both sides to better assess if he can become even more impactful offensively before locking in a long-term agreement. Assuming he stays on this trajectory, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his next contract surpass the $6MM threshold. Marchenko appears to be well on his way to an even bigger raise on his next deal. He very quietly put up 31 goals and 74 points last season, legitimate top-line numbers for a middle-six price tag. He has surpassed the 20-goal plateau in each of his three NHL seasons and at the rate salaries are set to increase, he could plausibly double his current price tag two on his next contract.
Johnson received a bridge deal last summer on the heels of a tough season. That contract already looks like a big bargain as he locked down a full-time spot in the top six and had more points than his previous two seasons combined. At this rate, he could get into the $6MM or $7MM range as well with arbitration rights when his deal is up. Lundestrom comes over from Anaheim after the Ducks elected to non-tender him. He has been more of a depth player in recent years, unable to live up to his first-round billing. The fact he can kill penalties gives him some utility but he’ll need to be a lot more impactful if he wants to get past the $2MM threshold on his next deal.
Christiansen was a full-timer on the NHL roster for just the first time last season which didn’t give him much leverage in contract talks. He also averaged just 12:32 per game in 2024-25 which was one of the lower marks for a regular. If he can work his way up to 15 or 16 minutes a night, he could push closer to $1.5MM on his next deal. It also wouldn’t be overly shocking if he was on waivers at some point on this deal if he’s pushed out of a roster spot.
While Merzlikins showed promise early in his career, he simply hasn’t been able to play at the level of an NHL starting goalie with much consistency. Frankly, his performance has been that of a backup at best more often than not. At this point, landing a deal paying half of what he’s getting now could be a challenge barring him turning things around over the next couple of seasons.
Signed Through 2027-28
D Zach Werenski ($9.583MM, UFA)
Werenski’s contract raised some eyebrows at the time it was signed but after they lost Seth Jones to Chicago, they weren’t in a spot where they could risk losing their top defender. After injuries wrecked the first year of the agreement, he has played at a true number one level, an all-situations player who logs heavy minutes and puts up plenty of offense. He led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season, averaging just over a point per game while finishing second in Norris Trophy voting. Given the inflationary trend of the market (particularly on the back end), Werenski appears to be on his way to landing another raise three years from now on another long-term agreement.