Adam Fantilli’s Slow Start Has Context as Blue Jackets Seek More Offense

Adam Fantilli’s early offensive dip deserves attention, but the signs beneath the scoring line suggest Columbus’ young center has more to build on than a sluggish start alone. He’s winning faceoffs at an elite rate and generating shot attempts; the bigger concern is that his line hasn’t turned its work into scoring chances at the same pace.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are also searching for answers as a team. Several weeks into the season, their slow start has put pressure on the group, while Fantilli’s individual production calls for a little more patience. He missed every preseason game after arriving late to training camp, and that lost preparation time matters as he adjusts to the attack Rick Bowness is installing.

Faceoff progress and defensive value

Fantilli has made a clear improvement in the faceoff circle. Fox Sports’ figures after Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs showed him with 96 wins, 12th among players with at least 75 faceoff wins. Among that group of 25 players, his 66.7% success rate ranked first. It’s a notable response to a weakness the team had reason to want addressed after last season.

His line has offered value away from the puck, too. The combination of Matthew Knies, Fantilli and Kent Johnson has limited opponents to 1.74 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck. That ranked among the NHL’s top 20 forward lines among combinations with at least 35 minutes together. The defensive results have come against tough competition, giving the trio a useful foundation even while its scoring output lags.

For Fantilli, that work is part of a broader picture. A center’s impact doesn’t begin and end with goals, and reliable draws can help a team start with possession. Strong defensive results can also keep a line effective while its players learn each other’s reads. Those strengths don’t erase the need for more offense, but they do make the opening stretch less one-dimensional than the scoring numbers might suggest.

The scoring chances haven’t become production

The same line’s offensive numbers point to the clearest area for improvement. MoneyPuck had Knies, Fantilli and Johnson at 1.93 expected goals for per 60 minutes, placing the combination in the bottom 15 among NHL forward lines that met the same 35-minute minimum. The trio is suppressing chances at one end but hasn’t yet found consistent ways to create enough danger at the other.

Fantilli’s individual shot volume suggests the issue isn’t a lack of attempts. Among more than 260 skaters who had played at least 150 minutes, he was taking 5.4 shot attempts per game, 50th in the league, per MoneyPuck. That led Columbus forwards; only Zach Werenski, at 6.9 attempts per game, was higher on the club. Those attempts haven’t translated into goals for Fantilli or the team so far.

Shot attempts are an encouraging sign of involvement, but they don’t guarantee quality chances or finishes. The next step is for Fantilli and his linemates to turn possession into looks from dangerous areas and sustain pressure long enough to make defenders react. If their defensive structure remains intact while that attacking connection improves, the line could become more balanced.

Missed preparation complicates the read

There are practical reasons the chemistry may take time. Knies joined Columbus after training camp, while Fantilli missed the entire preseason. That left the new combination with little opportunity to build timing before the games began. Only one Blue Jackets line combination—the trio of Cole Sillinger, Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier—had skated together the previous season, leaving much of the forward group to establish familiarity on the fly.

They’re also learning Bowness’ offensive approach while the team tries to settle on its identity. When players have limited shared practice, small details such as where a teammate expects a pass or when to support a puck carrier can take longer to become automatic. That isn’t an excuse for the current lack of offense, but it helps explain why the line’s defensive reliability has arrived ahead of its attacking rhythm.

Fantilli is coming off a career-best 59-point season, and Columbus has invested more than $13 million in his contract. The expectation is for him to become a major offensive contributor. Still, an early scoring lull after missing preseason shouldn’t decide the story of his season, especially with strong faceoff results and a high rate of shot attempts already in place.

The sharper checkpoint is whether his chances begin producing goals as the line gets more time together. Columbus needs a broader turnaround, and Fantilli will need to show that last season’s scoring growth can continue. For now, the defensive work and underlying activity offer reasons to hold judgment; the coming weeks should show whether improved familiarity can bring the offense along.