NHL Trade Rumors: Blues Face Jimmy Snuggerud Decision As Blue Jackets Sort Three RFAs

The summer market is getting its first real pulse, and the latest wave of NHL trade rumors is less about blockbuster swaps than the contract choices that can shape a team’s next three seasons. In St. Louis, Jimmy Snuggerud is staring down a pivotal year. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets are juggling three restricted free agents, and the outcome could define how quickly they move from promising to dangerous.

Jimmy Snuggerud extension watch in St. Louis

Snuggerud is entering the final season of his entry-level deal, which puts the Blues in a classic early-career dilemma. If they want to lock him up before puck drop, the most realistic path looks like a bridge contract at a manageable cap hit. That would buy the club time and preserve flexibility while letting the winger prove whether he is a core piece or a player ready for a major payday.

The longer the season goes, the more expensive this gets. If Snuggerud starts fast and looks like a top-six difference-maker, the ceiling changes quickly. A seven-year deal north of $10 million per season becomes far more believable in that scenario. That kind of number is reserved for players who don’t just produce, they tilt the ice and alter how opponents defend.

For St. Louis, the risk is obvious. A bridge deal could be the smart cap play, but it also pushes the hard decision down the road. If Snuggerud becomes the real thing, the Blues may end up paying a premium for patience. If he stalls, they save themselves from tying up elite money too early. Either way, the winger is now one of the franchise’s most important long-term bets.

Columbus Blue Jackets still have three RFAs to settle

Columbus has a different kind of summer pressure. The Blue Jackets still need new deals for Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger and goaltender Jet Greaves, and each negotiation carries its own consequences. This is not a one-player problem. It is a roster-building test.

Fantilli is the headliner. The sense around his talks is that an eight-year contract is unlikely, and a five- to seven-year range feels much more realistic. A five-year bridge to unrestricted free agency would mirror the kind of structure teams have used with other young stars to maintain control without overcommitting too early. For Columbus, that would be a strong compromise if they believe Fantilli is ready to grow into a franchise center without forcing a max-term deal today.

Sillinger’s situation sounds more compressed, with term emerging as the biggest sticking point. That usually means both sides agree on the player’s value, but not on how long that value should be locked in. If the Blue Jackets can land a sensible middle ground, Sillinger gives them more center depth and another important piece in a lineup that is trying to mature fast.

Jet Greaves and the goaltender market

Greaves may be the most fascinating case. If he reaches arbitration, the projected one-year finding could land between $4.5 million and $5.5 million, a figure that reflects how expensive competent goaltending can become when leverage tilts toward the player. Columbus is reportedly aiming for a one-year award if it gets that far, because a two-year result would walk Greaves closer to free agency.

The team would clearly prefer a longer agreement, but the strategy is understandable. Goaltenders can reset a depth chart quickly, and Greaves is young enough to make the club think about upside, not just short-term stability. For Columbus, a resolution on Greaves matters almost as much as Fantilli’s contract. A young contender needs cost control in net if it wants room to build everywhere else.

Forecast: patience, leverage and one big summer wildcard

The most likely moves are a Snuggerud bridge, a Fantilli deal in the five- to seven-year range and some sort of resolution for Greaves before the situation drifts deeper into arbitration territory. The wildcard is Sillinger, because term disputes can linger longer than cap hit fights and reshape how a front office balances the entire roster.

The teams that solve their summer business early usually enter the season with clarity. The ones that wait often discover how expensive uncertainty can be.