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Why the Red Wings Need to Offer Sheet Adam Fantilli
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- Why the Red Wings Need to Offer Sheet Adam Fantilli
Why the Red Wings Need to Offer Sheet Adam Fantilli
The Detroit Red Wings desperately need a spark, one they didn't pursue in free agency or at last year's trade deadline. My answer? Offer sheet Adam Fantilli. Pull the trigger on a center with scoring ability who can take some of the pressure off Dylan Larkin.
What an Offer Sheet Would Cost
Sources are reporting that he is projected to be worth anywhere between $12-15 million AAV . An offer sheet for Fantilli at $13.5 million AAV would cost the Wings four consecutive first-round picks, 2027 through 2030 , and Detroit owns all four . The cheaper $9.55-11.9 million AAV tier, which costs two firsts, a second, and a third, is not an option: offer-sheet compensation has to be a team's own picks, and Detroit sent its 2027 second-round pick to Anaheim in the John Gibson trade. Any Fantilli offer sheet is a four-firsts play.
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Detroit can afford that deal, and Columbus only has roughly $12.6 million left in cap space. That would put Columbus in a difficult spot financially: match the offer sheet or collect the draft compensation from Detroit. That price is well within the means of an organization that just shipped out one of its highly touted first-round selections in Sebastian Cossa. Fantilli brings tremendous value as a young center who is able to produce and is just starting to come into his prime. He has posted over 50 points in each of his last two seasons and is only 21 years old.
Why Columbus Is Vulnerable
The Wings have the means, in both draft picks and salary cap, to get this deal done. Columbus has not yet signed an extension and seems to think Fantilli is safe from an offer sheet this late in the offseason, according to Aaron Portzline on NHL Tonight. Sources are also reporting that Columbus and Fantilli are having contract conversations, and Columbus wants to ink him to a deal of five years or longer.
The Larkin Factor
Bringing in a player of this caliber would ease the tension around the Larkin debacle. With Larkin requesting a trade earlier this offseason and wanting to go to a team in win-now mode, offering Fantilli would help settle the franchise. It would also show the room that the new general manager, whoever it may be, is willing to make the moves needed to bring playoff hockey back to Detroit. Landing Fantilli would boost locker room morale after the team failed to move the needle at the trade deadline or in free agency.
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The Clear Choice
Detroit has a clear need for scoring outside of its top line of DeBrincat-Larkin-Raymond, and Fantilli is the clear choice. Not only do the Wings have the means, but they can also force Columbus into either a horrible cap situation or a retool built on Detroit's future draft picks. Adding Fantilli would push the team into playoff contention while costing only draft picks, and Detroit would still have the cap room needed for the Simon Edvinsson extension . With how close this team has been to playoff contention, an offer sheet for Fantilli needs to be on the front office's table.
