For those that watch the Jackets on the FanDuel Sports Network of Ohio here in the Buckeye State: are you familiar with the Performance Columbus Family of Dealerships commercials that have featured Jack Roslovic & Sean Kuraly? The spots seem only to pick those Blue Jackets players native to Columbus or have AAA Ohio Blue Jackets ties in their youth, right? With that in mind, why haven't they gotten Cole Sillinger for one of those advertisements?
I understand that Cole's hometown is Regina, Saskatchewan; where he grew up with his brothers (fellow Columbus Blue Jacket Owen and current Arizona State Sun Devil Lukas). Despite that, the 21-year-old forward was actually born in Columbus. He's a second-generation Blue Jacket through his father Mike, and now even has one of his older brothers playing for the Club. Can we at least partially claim him as a native son at this point?
Trying to predict Cole's spot in the lineup this year was akin to playing whack-a-mole. He seemed to rise and fall anywhere between the second and fourth lines and had two different linemates every other night. Towards the end of the 2024-2025 campaign, though, I think we saw him develop a solid combo scoring and checking line with fellow forwards Dmitri Voronkov and Mathieu Olivier.
Sillinger finished the year with a solid 11-22-33 line in 66 games, putting up a -11 rating and 35 minutes spent in the sin bin. The 33 points were a career high, albeit only passing his previous of 32 by 1, set last season. He only missed some time during the back half of the season due to an upper-body injury he suffered in late February, which unfortunately caused the Columbus native to miss the Stadium Series game on March 1st.
He's a player who, in my eyes, passes the eye test even when the advanced statistics seem to hate him with a passion. His competitive level, leadership ability, physicality, and quietly decent scoring and playmaking ability add up to a complementary player who is one of the best third-line center combinations the club could ask for.
Someone has to take on the tough matchups, and it often results in poor advanced stats.
Despite all of this, Cole finished in the bottom half of the club's forwards corps in a variety of advanced statistics: expected goals for per 60 (2.67), on-ice high danger shots for per 60 (2.96), on-ice expected goals against per 60 (3.55), on-ice high danger shot attempts against per 60 (4.14), on-ice expected goals differential (-16.4), Corsi % (45%) and Fenwick % (46%).
I'm usually a guy who leans on the advanced statistics to help me make quantitative sense of what I'm observing on the ice. Still, I don't see Cole as a net-negative out there with what he brings in his intangibles and scoring ability.
Sillinger was signed to a 2 year contract extension that will keep him in the Union Blue until the end of next season, and I would be shocked if the Club moves on from him at that point. He's the perfect Blue Jacket, and precisely the kind of guy Dean Evason wants centering his third line. I'm excited to see what he can do when flanked by Voronkov and Olivier long-term next season.
Now, if he could only bring up that faceoffs percentage a bit...