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.