Not guaranteed roster spot Sillinger could begin the season back with AHL Cleveland due to the Blue Jackets' roster crunch, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports. Impact The 20-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and is still very much in the Blue Jackets' future plans, but Sillinger is one of a handful of players on the roster who can be sent to the AHL without needing to clear waivers, which gives him an extra hurdle to overcome in training camp. He's also coming off a rough sophomore campaign -- after scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 79 NHL games as an 18-year-old rookie, Sillinger backslid to three goals and 11 points in 64 games in 2022-23 before a late-season demotion to Cleveland, where he managed two goals and six points in 11 games. With Adam Fantilli now in town as the Jackets' franchise player, the pressure is off Sillinger to develop into a future No. 1 center, but regaining his confidence in Cleveland before returning to Columbus could help him secure a middle-six role down the road.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
