On September 4, 2024, fans and employees of the Columbus Blue Jackets gathered together outside Nationwide Arena to pay a formal tribute to CBJ forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, killed by a drunk driver less than a week before. Earlier that day, general manager and president of hockey operations Don Waddell addressed the media for the first time, followed by the leadership group of the Blue Jackets roster: captain Boone Jenner and alternate captains Zach Werenski, Erik Gudbranson, and Sean Kuraly. At the vigil in the evening, Waddell, Jenner, and Gudbranson addressed the crowd again, echoing many of their sentiments from earlier in the day. Then, when the opportunity arose for anyone else on the roster to speak, 21-year old Cole Sillinger stepped forward.
Standing there in the plaza, I was amazed at the poise with which Sillinger addressed the crowd, recounting how he grew up idolizing Gaudreau (despite being an Oilers fan in Saskatchewan) and what he learned from Johnny in their two years as teammates.
Adam Cairns from The Columbus Dispatch captured this moment after his talk that is both beautiful and heartbreaking, with Kuraly comforting Sillinger after his speech:
Since Sillinger was drafted in 2021, I didn’t think expect him to be the best player on the team, but I saw the potential for a player who could be a complementary middle-six center and a leader in the room, a la Brandon Dubinsky. So far, Sillinger has shown that he has those intangibles.
To my surprise, though I thought he was a bit underwhelming offensively this season, I discovered that he set a career high in points despite missing 16 games to injury. His goal numbers were down, but he was contributing more assists and his ice time reflected him taking on a bigger role with the team.
Now, with Adam Fantilli having a breakout year and Sean Monahan having four years left on his contract, is there room for Cole Sillinger on the roster? Might he bring a good return in a trade? It’s a fair question to ask, but I wouldn’t be sad if he remained as the next Dubinsky or Jenner type in the room and an important depth piece on the ice.
2024-25 Stats
Games: 66
Goals: 11
Assists: 22
Points: 33
Plus/Minus: -11
PIM: 35
5v5 Corsi%: 44.8
5v5 Fenwick%: 45.7
Off. Zone Start %: 48.8
Contract
On August 21, 2024, Sillinger signed a new contract that extended him for two years with an average annual cap hit of $2.25 million. That’s a pretty fair deal for what he has contributed, especially with the salary cap rising considerably over the next two summers.
High Point
Sillinger had two game-winning goals this season, and the most exciting was an overtime winner in Las Vegas on January 30. Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson did a lot of work on this, but Sillinger made sure he was in the right place at the right time.
Low Point
Sillinger suffered a concussion on February 27, just two days before the Stadium Series game. He had to miss that game and did not return until March 28. The Blue Jackets were able to remain in contention after Sean Monahan’s injury, but losing the depth that Sillinger provided proved to be too much to overcome.
Report Card
B+
Players like Werenski, Fantilli, and Marchenko are more important to the Blue Jackets over the long term, but Sillinger is up there right behind them in terms of how he makes his teammates better and makes the center depth of this team better. Could he be supplanted by a Luca Del Bel Belluz or Cayden Lindstrom? Maybe. But the front office should take a long, hard look at the return they’re getting before making that call.