Worth the Risk: Should the Flyers Circle Back to Offer Sheets and Try to Sign Adam Fantilli?

It’s been a little over a month since the Philadelphia Flyers sent in a seismic offer sheet to then RFA centerman Leo Carlsson that changed the landscape for top RFAs for the foreseeable future.

GM Danny Briere and the front office signed the Ducks’ emerging superstar to a 5-year deal worth $18 million against the cap a year. It was a deal that seemed almost unheard of. They gave a player, still with much to prove, a contract that makes him the highest-paid player in the league. At least for the coming season, anyway. Of course, the big swing fell short as the Ducks ultimately decided to match the offer.

Since then, we’ve seen Connor Bedard sign a 5-year deal worth $15 million annually to remain a Chicago Blackhawk. The San Jose Sharks got ahead of the curve and inked their superstar Macklin Celebrini to a 5-year extension that will pay him $18.8 million a year, making him the highest-paid player in the league starting in 2027-28.

The Flyers’ offer sheet has clearly affected the RFA market. High-end young talent is being paid money as we’ve never seen before.

A few big names remain, like Cutter Gauthier and Alexander Nikishin, two young emerging stars who have not signed new deals but are ineligible for offer sheets. Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets, however, is eligible and has not signed a new deal.

According to Elliotte Friedman, Fantilli and Columbus still remain apart in negotiations. That is with training camp a little over a month away. Friedman reports that a challenge has arisen in the negotiations. With the recent surge in RFA pricing, Fantilli could want a deal comparable to that of a Carlsson or Bedard. Meanwhile, he suspects that the Blue Jackets are in the $12-12.5 million range.

Is it worth the risk for the Flyers to circle back to the offersheet route and check in on Fantilli?

Is It Worth the Risk for the Flyers to Offer Sheet Adam Fantilli?

Following the Ducks’ decision to match the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, it seemed like the Flyers were done taking big swings in the RFA market, and even in the summer in general. It was an honorable attempt to get better not just in the now, but for the long-term plan.

However, there is still a glaring hole at the top of the lineup, still without a true No. 1 center.

Fantilli, 21, is coming off a career-best 59 points in 2025-26. He notched a career-high 35 assists, while scoring 24 goals, 7 short of his high of 31, a number reached in his second professional season. It was not a Celebrini-like jump, solidifying his future star status. However, it’s still been a promising start to a long career as a top centerman for Fantilli.

Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff reported that the Flyers are unlikely to offer sheet Fantilli, citing the front office’s wish to preserve financial flexibility for a move that better fits the long-term vision.

But what if the Blue Jackets and Fantilli are truly as far apart as Friedman alludes to? Is it worth the risk for the Flyers to try and get a deal done?

Fantilli has the 6’2″ frame, physicality, and the tenacity that the Flyers have seemed to covet in recent years. He has true scoring ability and has a knack for making things happen in the offensive zone. There is potential for him to become a legitimate 1C in this league for a while.

At the same time, he has struggled with faceoffs, having a career 45.4% at the dot, but is carried by a much-improved 49.8% in 2025-26. His defensive play is inconsistent as well, but that’s where the risk comes into play.

If the Blue Jackets are currently in the $12-12.5 million range with the center, the Flyers would likely have to come in around $14 million annually to even have a chance. The deal would also have to carry enough term to make it no longer worth it for Columbus, but also worth it for the Flyers and losing the draft capital in return.

Decisions Decisions

Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to offer sheet Fantilli comes back to exactly what Di Marco said. Would the Flyers rather have the flexibility to land a bigger fish down the road, or can Fantilli be worth it?

Starting with the draft capital risk, the Flyers would have to cough up the highest compensation for Fantilli. 4 first round picks start at $11,939,167, which is a number that will obviously be cleared.

To that point, the Flyers will have the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-rounder in either 2027 or 2028. They also have players that could recoup first-rounders now, or even at the deadline. There is a world where Philly could make that big of an RFA splash and still draft in 3 of the next 4 first rounds.

The Flyers currently sit at $13,782,083 in cap space for the coming season. Plenty of room to make a move now. They also project to have $27,382,083 for next summer, with only really Matvei Michkov to sign. The projection is $51,525,000 for the following summer, with Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey needing new deals by then, but much more action is needed to fill out the roster. Only 11 players are under contract for the 2028-29 season as of now.

Adding Fantilli would cut the current space to almost nothing, with other moves likely needed. It’d cut the 2027-28 cap in half. The 2028-29 cap would be shrunk to about $37 million.

This is the exact cap flexibility issue that Di Marco referred to.

Further, a player like Carlsson seemed like a much safer bet to be a top center. Fantilli, on the other hand, still has more to prove, even though he would be Philly’s number one immediately.

With that in mind, I would lean towards the flexibility, rather than signing the player now. While the Flyers do need a top center, signing a player just to do so will hurt the long-term vision.

If you were the Flyers, would attempting to sign Adam Fantilli be worth the risk, or would you wait to make a bigger splash, even if it comes a little further down the road?

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