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Things could certainly be better for Adam Fantilli in his fourth season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but after 16 games, the young center isn't hitting the panic button. While his offensive stats are lagging, Fantilli sees plenty of time—68 games remain—to turn things around. That optimism might be hard for some fans to swallow after Fantilli was held off the scoresheet again in Columbus' 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Nov. 10 at Nationwide Arena, but there's still ample opportunity to get on track. He just needs to find his groove soon.
In his second game skating alongside power forwards Dmitri Voronkov and Valeri Nichushkin, Fantilli didn't contribute offensively and now sits with four goals, two assists, and six points. He hasn't scored in six games and is on pace for just 34 points if his scoring remains at this rate—a far cry from his own expectations. Yet, he's not one to panic, especially when he's performing significantly better in other areas.
"I think I'm doing everything the best I've ever done it in my career except get on the [scoreboard]," Fantilli said. "I'm the best I've ever been at the [faceoff] dot [and] the best I've ever been defensively. I just haven't been able to contribute on the scoresheet. I've been doing the same thing as always. I'm watching video, I'm trying to do extra work, and it's going to come. I'm not nervous at all."
Fans and NHL analysts, however, aren't as convinced. They're freaking out, but should they be? How concerning is Adam Fantilli's start? After missing most of training camp and signing a six-year, $82.5 million contract extension on Sept. 24—a deal with a $13.75 million salary-cap charge—Fantilli has faced offensive headwinds. He's on pace for 23 goals, which isn't terrible, but just 11 assists and 34 points. Those would be absurdly low numbers for the NHL's third overall pick in 2023, and Fantilli would agree if it happens that way. That's a third-line center's production, not a first-liner's.
It's also November, not April, and Fantilli has shown over the past three years that he's capable of heating up rapidly. Closing out his second NHL season, he scored nine goals with one assist in the final 10 games to finish with a career-high 31 goals and 54 points. Last season, his goal production dropped to 24, but his assists (35) and points (59) rose to career-highs. Fantilli also posted a -13 plus/minus last season, which he's improved to an even 0 by winning more faceoffs and puck battles. Among players who've taken 200-plus draws, Fantilli ranks sixth in the NHL with a 59.4% win percentage—10% higher than last season. What's lagging is his shooting percentage, which at 8.3% on 48 shots is 4.3% lower than his 12.6% career average.
"You're going to see all these stats on what I'm on pace for right now [in points], but we're [16] games into the season," Fantilli said. "The production hasn't been there, but everything else has been, and my job's to be a [center], and there's more to that [than scoring]. So, having grown my game in every other sense, I'm confident the points are going to come too."
Key Analysis
Other players his age or around his age are lighting up the scoreboard, which has shined a spotlight on Fantilli's lagging offensive stats. The Anaheim Ducks, for example, are getting much of their offense from top center Leo Carlsson (six goals, 20 assists, 26 points), left wing Cutter Gauthier (15 goals, five assists, 20 points), and right wing Beckett Sennecke (10 goals, 12 assists, 22 points). Carlsson was selected one spot ahead of Fantilli in 2023, second overall, while Gauthier went fifth overall to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022 and Sennecke was taken with the third pick in 2024. Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in 2024 and another top young center, is again leading the San Jose Sharks with 7-14-21, while Connor Bedard, picked first in 2023, has 5-9-14 as the Chicago Blackhawks' top pivot. Compared to those numbers, Fantilli has a steep hill ahead to catch up. He's also far better on faceoffs than any of them and has a higher plus/minus (0) than all but Sennecke (+4). What's lacking are goals, assists, and better line chemistry that generates more scoring chances.
"I've missed some chances," Fantilli said. "That's on me, but it just hasn't gone in [the net]. It's going to happen."
Looking closer at Fantilli's peers, the bulk of their scoring happens on power plays. Fantilli, meanwhile, is muted by a Blue Jackets power play that continues to struggle from year-to-year. They're ranked 27th in the NHL (17.1%) after going 0 for 1 against the Panthers, and Fantilli hasn't found a permanent spot on either unit. After starting with the top group, he's now on the left wall with the second group, netting just one power-play goal in a 4-on-3 advantage to end overtime Oct. 24 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Carlsson, by comparison, has added 15 of his 20 assists and two of his six goals for 17 of 26 points on power plays. Gauthier has racked up 10 of his 15 goals, four of his seven assists, and 14 of 22 points on power plays. Similar numbers apply for Sennecke, Celebrini, and Bedard. Fantilli shoulders some of the blame for the Blue Jackets' power-play woes, by proxy, but his numbers will climb significantly if things turn around with him contributing. Until then, his focus will remain on becoming a dominant center in other ways.
"At the end of the day, it's a sport," Fantilli said. "I get to do what I love for a living, I come in here with a smile every day and the goal is to get wins. My job is to help the team as much as possible. If I'm not contributing on the scoresheet, I'm contributing with hits or faceoffs or whatever it might be. I'm trying to find a way to affect the game every single time I step on the ice, and eventually the production is going to come too."
Originally reported by yahoo.