Greaves, Fantilli, Jenner and more: How Blue Jackets plan to approach their free agents
The 2025-26 campaign was a rollercoaster for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Early-season struggles led to the dismissal of head coach Dean Evason, replaced by Rick Bowness. A near miracle run over the winter saw them firmly in a playoff spot as of early March, but a free fall to end the season – losing eight of their last 10 games and final six on home ice – saw them miss the playoffs by six points.
After narrowly falling short, what is the offseason plan for GM Don Waddell and the Jackets?
Bowness caused fireworks to end the season during a postgame interview, not mincing words about his feelings towards the Columbus players and their compete level. Relatively surprisingly, the 71-year old Bowness was brought back by the Jackets on a one-year extension, presumably with hopes to rekindle whatever magic he found with the club during the winter.
Speaking with team sources, it sounds like the Jackets will first look to address what to do with their significant UFA forwards: Charlie Coyle, captain Boone Jenner, Danton Heinen and Mason Marchment. While Heinen doesn’t sound likely to be back (or a priority at the very least), the other three were significant pieces for Columbus this season.
Coyle, who came over from the Colorado Avalanche last summer, finished third in scoring among team forwards with 58 points while playing second-line center. Marchment, who was acquired from the Seattle Kraken during the season, finished with 32 points in 39 games after arriving in Columbus. As for Jenner, the captain continued his integral role as the third-line pivot while also chipping in 38 points in 67 games.
There is a case to be made that Columbus should explore more significant names in free agency, but as a team source told Daily Faceoff, “You never know when the next big-name star like Johnny Gaudreau is going to want to sign here.’’ With that in mind, Waddell may need to heavily explore keeping his own UFAs.
As for their two prized RFAs, Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger, while it seems early to know exactly what direction the team will go with them, it sounds like the Jackets feel comfortable signing both long term, according to sources.
Fantilli, who was drafted third overall in 2023, finished the year with 59 points and solidified himself as the club’s top-line center. If the Jackets were to go long term with him, a contract similar to Matty Beniers’ seven year, $50 million deal could be in the right ballpark. Adjusting for the cap increase, getting Fantilli’s AAV closer to $8 million may be more realistic.
Sillinger, 22, will have a lot less leverage given his 33-point season, though he does have arbitration rights, according to PuckPedia. It may be more likely that Sillinger ends up on a shorter-term deal at the player’s benefit and ability to bet on himself, rather than tie himself into an AAV based on modest offensive numbers.
As for the blueline, there shouldn’t be an expectation of many major changes, a team source told Daily Faceoff. The top five are all locked up next season in Dante Fabbro, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson and Zach Werenski, while 26-year-old Jake Christensen is under contract, too.
Speaking with sources, it doesn’t sound like pending UFAs Erik Gudbranson or Brendan Smith will be back, while the jury is still out on RFA defender Egor Zamula. The Jackets are expected to ‘’add on the margins’’ this summer on the back end, sources say.
In goal, 25-year-old Jet Greaves is a pending RFA after a remarkable 15 months in Columbus. A revelation in the net, it certainly sounds like Greaves is a fan (and team) favorite and that the Jackets are willing to commit to him, according to team sources.
Goaltenders are always a little hard to judge in terms of value, but Brandon Bussi’s three-year deal carrying a $1.9 million AAV with the Carolina Hurricanes may have set the benchmark. Greaves does have more of a sample size with better numbers in the NHL, along with being younger, so that AAV could climb in the $3 million to $4 million range on a three- or four-year contract with Columbus.
The Jackets didn’t have a great end to the season, but there are a lot of building blocks in place to rekindle the success they found over the winter. With Bowness coming back and the team set to stay the course, there is promise in Columbus with pieces that have already shown flashes of success in the playoffs.
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