The Columbus Blue Jackets are making moves, sealing the deal with forward Danton Heinen on July 22 for a one-year, two-way contract. This dude, 31 years old, showed up midway through last season as part of a trade, and he absolutely locked down a spot as a lineup staple for Coach Rick Bowness after Bowness took over on January 12 and sparked a sharp rise up the Eastern Conference standings. What a turnaround for the team!
Danton Heinen: The Versatile Depth Guy
Heinen brought some serious versatility to the Blue Jackets. He can play either wing and slot into any of the four forward lines, which is huge for organizational depth. Last season, split between the Penguins and Blue Jackets, he played 46 NHL games, racking up six goals, six assists, and 12 points. Once he landed in Columbus, he put up five goals and five assists for 10 points in 33 games. His new deal is solid too, with a cool $1 million at the NHL level, $550,000 if he’s with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, and a guaranteed minimum of $700,000. That’s a smart pickup for Columbus, getting a reliable forward locked in.
The RFA Showdown: Greaves, Sillinger, and Fantilli
But while Heinen’s deal is done, the real drama is just heating up with their restricted free agents. The Blue Jackets are still in heavy talks with center Adam Fantilli, goalie Jet Greaves, and forward Cole Sillinger. The team is clearly looking for longer term deals than what Greaves and Sillinger might be eyeing, which could make things spicy. For Fantilli, he doesn’t even have arbitration rights yet, but everyone’s expecting his next contract to hit double digits, just like his 2023 NHL Draft peers Leo Carlsson ($18 million with Anaheim) and Connor Bedard ($15 million with Chicago). That’s a massive price tag in waiting!
The biggest firework, though, is absolutely Jet Greaves. His arbitration hearing is set for 9 a.m. on July 23 in Toronto, and this is massive. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ll go to an arbiter! The briefs filed on July 21 already show an absolutely wild gap: Greaves is asking for a hefty $7.5 million on a one-year contract, while the team is countering with $2.8 million. That’s a $4.7 million difference, people! The arbiter will decide his salary, but it has to be at least 85% of the $825,000 he made last season. Sillinger’s hearing is coming up too, on July 27 in Toronto, if they can’t get it sorted. Columbus has some huge decisions coming, and it’s gonna be interesting to see how it all shakes out for these key guys.
Tomorrow morning, we find out what an arbiter thinks Jet Greaves is worth. This could set a precedent, or it could just be a wild, one-off negotiation. Either way, Columbus fans are going to be glued to their phones.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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