Columbus faces offer-sheet risk on Fantilli after Greaves deal

The Blue Jackets agreed to a three-year deal with Jet Greaves at a $5 million cap hit, leaving about $19 million in projected space with a 21-man roster.

Cap math after arbitration settlements

The three-year Greaves contract carries a $5 million annual cap hit and was finalized on July 23. With that signing complete, Columbus projects $19 million in remaining space. Sillinger is expected to land between $4 million and $5 million in his next deal, while Greaves settled at the $5 million mark. Those two contracts alone would consume roughly $10 million and reduce available space to the $13 million range.

Daily Faceoff reported that other clubs are monitoring exactly this arithmetic. If Sillinger signs at the upper end of projections, the combined hit for the two RFAs pushes the total deduction near $11 million and leaves Columbus with only $13 million before addressing Fantilli.

The contrast between the settled Greaves number and the still-pending Sillinger and Fantilli negotiations creates the narrow window teams are now studying.

Teams weigh an offer sheet

Aaron Portzline confirmed Fantilli remains in Italy on vacation and that talks are paused until early the following week. The delay keeps the restricted free agent unsigned while other clubs calculate whether an offer sheet could force Columbus to match and then scramble for relief.

An offer sheet in the $8 million to $10 million range would require the Blue Jackets to clear matching dollars immediately. The team would likely execute at least one trade of a current roster player to regain compliance, a step that reduces depth without adding assets.

Daily Faceoff noted that even a modest sheet above Sillinger’s expected range would drop Columbus below the $13 million threshold and compel further moves. The causal chain is direct: limited initial space plus a matched sheet equals roster surgery before training camp.

Forward consequences for the 2026-27 season

Columbus enters the summer with two remaining RFAs and projected space already under pressure. Matching an offer sheet locks in Fantilli’s rights but accelerates the timeline for additional cap maneuvers. The club would enter September with fewer than $13 million in flexibility and a thinner 21-man group.

The same arithmetic that invites an offer sheet also guarantees that any successful match tightens future options. Columbus would then face the same cap math again in 2027 when both Fantilli and Sillinger require new contracts under even tighter constraints.

Unless the Blue Jackets finalize Fantilli before training camp opens, the threat of a sheet remains the lever other teams can pull to extract assets or force a trade.