Cole Sillinger
The dreaded sophomore slump left many of us wondering if the Blue Jackets might have rushed Cole Sillinger to the NHL too quickly. Last season however, he put a lot of concerns to rest by re-establishing himself as a pesky, physical two-way center. Still, it feels like there's more to give here, and he could be due for a bigger role this year.
Sillinger is already playing like bottom-two line, shutdown center in the NHL. He was used in that role quite a bit last year, and did quite an effective job while also setting a career high with 32 points in 77 games played. His most impressive stat, however: might have been his -4 rating; which was tied for second best on the team (minimum 45 games). Not bad for a team that gave up 63 more goals than they scored.
He achieved that near-even rating while often playing against tougher opposition, averaging more than 16 minutes per night. Quietly, Cole had a really solid third season in the NHL. If his offensive game can take another step this season, we're looking at one of the best young two-way centers in hockey.
Silly sealed the deal🎉@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/VQ9JK2Ab8Z
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 29, 2024
Dmitri Voronkov
I was wrong about Dmitri Voronkov. Quite wrong, in fact. But, to be fair, it's hard to gauge true potential on players like this. I thought Voronkov would come over and be a future fixture on the fourth line - the heir apparent to Sean Kuraly. Right away, it was evident that he's much, much better than that.
After a quick conditioning stint in the AHL to start his first year in North America, he made his NHL debut on October 26th last season. In his first game, he picked up an assist and 9 penalty minutes - including a fight. While I expected him to be a physical monster, what I did not expect was his offense coming along so quickly.
"Vronk" is a high IQ player, who makes up for his lack of foot speed by being a step ahead of the play on both sides of the puck. The only knock I can come up with is that he was too pass-friendly and needed to shoot more. Had he done that, I think he would have eclipsed 25 goals last season. If he can produce like that in a middle-six role (likely on the wing) this season, the Blue Jackets are in great shape.
Two more players could make a world of difference for the Blue Jackets this season. Let's look at two non-forwards who need to take a big step.