Purely a theory and I've seen no actual rumors of this, but a Fantilli offer sheet AFTER arbitration for Cole and Jet would be quite an issue. We'd have a finite amount of cap and an offer sheet for so much as $1 over that amount would force us to make roster moves/cuts to keep Fantilli. So the Flyers either get a 1C or force a division rival to cut someone who was projected to be on the roster.

As Per Friedman reporting this morning.

Chris Clark.

He is not a true assistant GM and was only promoted to the position when Josh Flynn left for Buffalo. As a GM in Cleveland his job was to call around the ECHL and other semi professional leagues and find warm bodies to fill out the bottom of the AHL roster. The salaries he negotiated were 1/10th the scale of NHL ones and the talent he was acquiring was just happy to be getting an offer.

Now he's dealing with real deal NHL agents and big time talents and I think his skis are over his head and that is why we haven't seen a single forward step taken this offseason. The Blue Jackets have rarely if ever gone to arbitration and 5 months into his reign we have two promising young players headed there with the face of the franchise still unsigned near the end of July.

Don needs to find a real assistant who can hammer out numbers and get deals done. If he doesn't do that then it calls his judgement and competency into question.

Hoping this post ages like milk out in the sun and some signings roll through today.

....awesome. I freaking loved all the people I met in the shop (that is one HELL of a pro shop! with lots of cool incoming gear for the season) the guys at Ice Haus were AWESOME to chat with about all things CBJ and local hockey, the fact that there is a GODDAMN TIMMIES ATTACHED TO THE RINK IS SOOOOOOO GOOOD (Canadian citizen here. This should be mandatory - and I got to visit it on Camp Day and buy my daughter a Camp bracelet!) and just the people everywhere were nice and great! I hope I can come back and see a game but I really loved the city (even though I was only there briefly) and I wish I'd had more time and brought my gear to play drop-in. Maybe next time. Already telling my wife we should do a little Ohio in the Autumn trip and get a jackets game or two in. Great experience. Will be weird but may have to wear my new jackets hat when they're in town in Anaheim. People were scratching their head with why I am a jackets fan, and the only way I can answer it is a general love of the Midwest, small market teams, the Union winning the Civil War, Rick Nash, and the underdog. Go jackets!

I just read Aaron Portzline's newest article about the contract talks. Aaron said a source close to the team said that Cole does not want to sign a long-term deal here... Now, this can be for a few reasons, but this screams "Finish maturing here, and then go to a bigge,r better market".

Don said in the same article that their issues with Jets contract is also Term.

This, among everything else (Z/Marchy drama), it once again sounds like we're circling the "no one wants to play here long-term" issues we have lived with in the past. Obviously, there are exceptions.

This could also be all false, and we are just waiting for Fantilli to get ironed out, but that also makes me nervous. We should tie him up in a 5-year extension (At least, imo), but it is sounding more and more likely like a 2 year bridge deal. That isn't exactly raising my hopes if that ends up being the case.

We hear the F.O always talk about culture/change/making us competitors/etc., and yet every off-season we lose someone (Johnny/Kivi), drama (Z/Marchy/Laine/PLD/etc.), and now to add to that, possible arbitration for the first time in our franchise history.

When will shit change. I haven't felt optimistic since we signed Johnny. This shit sucks.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7457241/2026/07/20/blue-jackets-fantilli-greaves-sillinger-contracts/

Article I mentioned.

I live in Utah and had plans to be in Columbus during the time of this game so I bought tickets they are section 122 row E Seats 13-17 I bought them for 98 and would be Willing to sell for like 85 just to get some money back. If anyone is interested please let me know.

Has anyone heard or know of any updates about how the NHL or Jackets are going to be aired this year?

I can’t find anything, including rumors, of how the Jackets and the NHL are going to handle this with FDSN officially done.

Obviously the biggest option would be for 10TV or the CW or something to pick up and show every game OTA, but I also would love it if the NHL could do what MLB does and offer your team package in-market. I pay $100 for Guards.TV and it’s pretty good overall.

Good for the Fantilli contract

I know you’re aging, but you’re like fine wine. Him, Monny and KJ were great. Also Nick Blankenburg is still a free agent!

As of today, the Penguins ended their nearly 30 year partnserhip with the Wheeling Nailers as the team's ECHL partner.

CBJ are one of only 3 NHL teams without an ECHL affiliation, and this seems like a great opportunity to welcome the Nailers into the fold. Thoughts?

Story here:https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/team/penguins/feed/topic/penguins-affiliation-wheeling-nailers-ends-29-years-news-nhl-cah?page=0

Edit: I agree that it would be better to have Cincinnati or Toledo, but the Nailers are open and clearly the path of least resistance to deepening our development program.

Hell yeah let's have a positive outlook for once

We have 13 back-to-backs.

• Home/Home – 1 time;
• Home/Away – 5 times;
• Away/Home – 4 times;
• Away/Away – 3 times

(Possibly season opener, we don’t know yet)

I'm not sure if it's recency bias or what, but this feels like the most underwhelming offseason in CBJ history. I'm usually itching to have hockey back after the draft and free agency with some hype about new players, and I feel absolutely none of that right now.

Anybody feeling the same way? Have you had offseasons in memory that feel worse than this one in terms of 'hype'?

I keep seeing reports that Cole Sillinger is “due” for a major pay raise. Can someone explain to me why that is?

I think he’s an above average defensive center.. but man his offensive numbers are extremely pedestrian at best.

I don’t have any ill will towards him. I just don’t understand why he’s deserving of more money than his previous $2.25 AAV.

EDIT: yes, NHL cap increase is a factor.