The Columbus Blue Jackets signed restricted free-agent forward Adam Fantilli to a six-year contract carrying an average annual value of $13.75 million, the team announced Thursday.
Fantilli missed all of Columbus' training camp to date while awaiting a new deal. He's now the Blue Jackets' highest-paid player by a significant margin, eclipsing Zach Werenski's $9.583-million AAV.
"Adam Fantilli has all of the tools you look for in a player - speed, size, skill - along with a competitive drive to succeed," general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "He is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL and a big part of what we are building in Columbus."
Fantilli, 21, was the third overall pick in 2023. He notched a career-high 59 points last season while averaging nearly 19 minutes per game as the club's top center.
The two players drafted before him, Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson, signed five-year contracts this offseason worth $15 million and $18 million, respectively.
Fantilli has registered 140 points in 213 career games. His new contract will take him to unrestricted free agency in 2033.
The Blue Jackets have two exhibition games remaining before their regular season begins Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres.
