Now that Chicago’s Connor Bedard has signed a 5-year, $75 million contract to stay in The Windy City, the remaining “Big 3” RFA’s, among others, are forwards Jason Robertson (DAL), Adam Fantilli (CBJ), and Cutter Gauthier. It will be interesting to see what effect Bedard’s $15 million AAV contract will have on these negotiations, as well as Anaheim forward Leo Carlsson’s league-record $18 million AAV contract.
Robertson remains in arbitration with Dallas, with a hearing scheduled for July 25. Robertson reportedly seeks a deal in the $15 million AAV range. However, signing Robertson may require a richer contract, as he recently rejected a trade to Seattle on an 8-year, $15 million per annum deal. Robertson will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season.
Neither Fantilli nor Gauthier has 4 years of NHL service, and as such are not eligible for arbitration as of yet. Reportedly, Fantilli has not demanded from Columbus more than $14 million per year, a number the Blue Jackets are projected to be able to afford. The arbitration results of Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves are expected to come in at a combined $8.5 million, leaving Columbus with $14.77 million in cap space. Thus, their ability to re-sign Fantilli depends in large part upon Fantilli’s demands.
Gauthier finds himself much closer to the Carlsson situation. The Anaheim teammates posted very similar numbers last year in the regular season and playoffs (69 regular season and 12 playoff points for Gauthier, 67 and 11 for Carlsson), and both are lauded for their strong defensive play. The deciding factor may be that, although both players can play up the middle or along the boards, Carlsson primarily plays the pivot position, and Gauthier the wing. Of course, this must be weighed against Gauthier’s goal-scoring prowess, on full display last season with his 41 tallies (12 more than Carlsson).
We shall see how this all plays out.
