NHL RFA Holdouts 2026: Fantilli, Nikishin Still Unsigned

Adam Fantilli is not at Columbus Blue Jackets training camp, and neither side is pretending a deal is close. He is one of three notable NHL RFA holdouts complicating camp storylines this week, alongside Carolina's Alexander Nikishin, who has requested a trade, and Detroit's Simon Edvinsson, who showed up to camp anyway despite still lacking a contract.

Camps opened across the league this week, and the NHL RFA holdouts of 2026 trace back to one cause: rising comparables have restricted free agents and their teams seeing very different numbers on the same players.

NHL RFA holdouts 2026: where Fantilli, Nikishin and Edvinsson stand

Fantilli, Columbus's 21-year-old center, is coming off a 59-point season and has not signed a second contract. Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Blue Jackets and Fantilli are roughly $2 to $3 million apart on average annual value, with offers and counteroffers exchanged all summer without a breakthrough. Because neither side was discussing an eight-year term, the September 16 deadline tied to the league's new CBA cap on team-held contract length did not force their hand the way it did elsewhere. Fantilli is simply not in camp while his camp and Columbus's front office keep talking.

Nikishin's situation is different in kind. The 24-year-old defenseman, who won a Stanley Cup with Carolina as a rookie and made the NHL's All-Rookie Team, is not just unsigned, he has asked out. Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky confirmed on September 16 that Nikishin would not be at camp, and Pierre LeBrun reported days earlier that Nikishin's stance had not changed: he wants a change of scenery. Nikishin scored 11 goals and 33 points last season but averaged only 18 minutes a night in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs, stuck behind Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker on Carolina's depth chart. Reports have linked the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators as interested parties, though neither club has an obvious surplus of the NHL-ready pieces Carolina reportedly wants back.

Edvinsson's case is closer to a normal camp story. The Red Wings defenseman showed up to Detroit's first practice on September 17 without a contract, choosing not to hold out physically even with his deal unresolved. He sat out the contact scrimmage and would not talk to reporters, saying he wanted to wait until things were signed. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff, who replaced Steve Yzerman days earlier, called signing Edvinsson a priority and said he hoped to have something finished soon. Edvinsson logged 25 points in 72 games last season and averaged 22:21 a night, trailing only Moritz Seider on Detroit's blue line, so the Red Wings have real incentive to close this quickly.

Why the comps blew up this summer

None of these three holdouts happened in a vacuum. Connor Bedard signed for $15 million a year, Cutter Gauthier got roughly $13 million off a strong rookie season with Anaheim, and Washington is paying Ryan Leonard $10.5 million despite an unproven track record at that price. Philadelphia's offer sheet to Leo Carlsson, five years at $18 million a year, and Anaheim's decision to match it, reset the ceiling and made Carlsson the league's highest-paid player. Every RFA negotiating this month is negotiating against that backdrop, and it is why a bridge-versus-long-term argument, not just a dollar figure, is holding up deals like Fantilli's.

Betting impact: win totals and props

An unsigned top-six center missing camp reps is not nothing for Columbus. Fantilli was the Blue Jackets' most productive forward last season, and every day away from the group is missed timing with linemates heading into a shortened 84-game slate. Books have been slow to move Columbus's win total on camp-absence news alone, but watch for movement if the holdout bleeds into the opener; his scoring props obviously carry no value until he is skating with the team.

Nikishin's case is a trade market story, not a projection-adjustment one. Carolina's blue line depth (Chatfield, Walker, plus Mike Reilly and Pierre-Olivier Joseph in reserve) means the Hurricanes are not desperate, so their team totals and Stanley Cup futures should hold steady near term. Where it matters is the buyer's side: if Nikishin lands with St. Louis or Nashville, that team's blue line props and playoff odds are worth a second look once a deal is official, since he would step into a bigger role than the third-pairing minutes Carolina gave him.

Edvinsson is the lowest-risk case for bettors. He is already on the ice, and Detroit's urgency (Horcoff called signing him a priority within his first days on the job) makes an extended holdout unlikely. Red Wings win total and playoff odds should not move unless this drags into the regular season, at which point a second defenseman missing beside Moritz Seider would start to matter for Detroit's goals-against props.

What to watch next

The clearest marker is the Blue Jackets' preseason schedule: every game Fantilli sits is a data point on how far apart the two sides really are, and a deal signed before the October 13 slate (when every team plays) would suggest the gap closed faster than the public reporting indicates. For Nikishin, watch Carolina's cap math, PuckPedia had the Hurricanes with roughly $8.18 million in space as of mid-September, and any roster move that frees up more room would signal Carolina is preparing to facilitate a sign-and-trade rather than wait him out. For Edvinsson, the number to track is simple: does Detroit get a deal announced before the September 29 season opener, or does a fourth straight day of no-contract practices turn interim GM Horcoff's "hopefully...shortly" into a longer story.

Bettors leaning on NHL futures should treat all three as fluid. For live line movement and matchup-specific value once camps settle, check StatSniper's AI-powered NHL picks hub, and see how Chad is framing early-season roster uncertainty into actual game predictions. For more on Detroit's other camp drama, see our earlier piece on the Dylan Larkin trade request.

FAQ

Is Adam Fantilli going to miss the start of the regular season? Nothing reported so far suggests it. The Blue Jackets and Fantilli are still $2 to $3 million apart on AAV as of mid-September, but both sides are actively negotiating and neither has signaled a long-term standoff.

Why does Alexander Nikishin want to leave Carolina after winning a Stanley Cup? Nikishin was buried on Carolina's depth chart last season, averaging 18 minutes a night behind Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker despite being one of the KHL's top-scoring defensemen before he arrived in the NHL. He requested a trade at the end of the 2025-26 season and, per Pierre LeBrun, has not changed that stance.

Is Simon Edvinsson actually holding out? Not physically. He showed up to Detroit's first camp practice and skated, even though his contract was not signed. He simply did not take part in the full-contact scrimmage and declined interviews until a deal is finalized.

Which teams have been linked to a Nikishin trade? The St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators have been reported as interested parties, though no deal has been confirmed and both clubs reportedly have limited NHL-ready assets to offer back immediately.

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