Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger takes the ice this fall with fresh expectations. After carving out a defensively responsible niche on the Blue Jackets’ third line last season, he’s likely shifting to the wing alongside veteran center Charlie Coyle. That positional tweak could unlock a new level of offense for Columbus’s homegrown talent. And since was literally born in Columbus, so you could say he’s literally homegrown.
Last season, Sillinger appeared in 66 games, tallying 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points, exactly a 0.50 points per game average. On a third line built for shutdown shifts, he excelled at zone coverage, backchecking and penalty killing.