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The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the middle of a rebuilding offseason with new general manager Don Wadell. After trading Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens, the Blue Jackets locked up young forward Cole Sillinger for two years.
The deal is worth $2.25 million per season and brings Sillinger through his age-22 season. He was the 12th overall pick in 2021 and immediately made the pro team at 18 years old. After a massive sophomore slump, he put together his best season in 2023-24. Sillinger had a career-high 19 assists and 32 points last season and scored 13 goals on top of it.
The Blue Jackets had a brutal year in 2023-24, finishing in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Pascal Vincent was fired as head coach after just one season and replaced with Dean Evason. They added Sean Monahan in part to take pressure off of Sillinger.
While Sillinger is a promising prospect, he showed that he was not ready to be a first-line center last year. This contract will be a ‘prove-it' deal. He will be slotted in the middle-six and should have better scoring numbers this year. Sean Monahan was signed on to play first-line center with his former Calgary Flames teammate Johnny Gaudreau.
With Sillinger in and Laine out, what can fans expect from the Blue Jackets this season? While it was a poor year last season, they could return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 in an open Eastern Conference.
Blue Jackets' expectations for 2024-25
Former Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell took on a big task when he left Carolina to take the Blue Jackets job. They finished last despite having a high payroll and star players. Gaudreau has been particularly disappointing since joining the team and if they want team success, it starts with him.
Gaudreau signed a seven-year deal worth $9.75 million per year before the 2022 season. He has put together two of his worst seasons since joining the Blue Jackets, which is part of the reason the team has struggled. Gaudreau has scored only 32 goals in those two seasons, the lowest two-season total in his career.
The Blue Jackets have also struggled to keep the puck out of their net. They allowed the second-most goals in the league despite having Elvis Merzlikins despite his $5.4 million salary. If they are going to make a push for a Wild Card spot, he must turn his career around and get back to his rookie form, when he finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting.
Sillinger is a key for the Blue Jackets in the future. If he performs well in a middle-six role on this contract, he could get the bump back up to the top line very soon. He is a young and promising star and should be a face of the franchise-type player in Columbus. With Adam Fantilli, David Jiricek, and Cayden Lindstrom all coming in as top-six picks, the future should be very bright for the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets might not make the playoffs this season, but a great year from their high-price forwards and young prospects will lead to a great future in Columbus.
