Blue Jackets' Cole Sillinger grinding through slump: 'You certainly can't give up, right?'

brian hedger, the columbus dispatch

Wed, Feb 1, 2023, 1:17 PM·4 min read

Oct 14, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger (34) takes a shot during the third period of the NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets lost 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

There is still time for Cole Sillinger to ignite his scoring engine for the Blue Jackets, but the clock is ticking.

Going into a game Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Sillinger had just two goals, five assists and seven points in 45 games and hadn’t scored a goal since Nov. 17 against the Montreal Canadiens — a 29-game drought. His most recent assist was Jan. 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes, a nine-game dry spell, but the 19-year old center isn’t ready to forfeit this season to the smoking heap of rubble known as the dreaded “sophomore slump” yet.

“You certainly can’t give up, right?” Sillinger said. “You’ve got to keep believing in yourself. I still believe in myself. I still know that I can produce and score. It’s just a matter of really bearing down when I get (a scoring chance). I’ve missed the net a couple times on some really good opportunities.”

It wasn’t nearly as challenging last season for Sillinger, who posted 16 goals, 15 assists and 31 points in 79 games as the NHL’s youngest player. He played center the entire season, as a rookie, and provided enough evidence to project a bright future as a top-six center.

More:Sleepwalking against Seattle Kraken costly for Columbus Blue Jackets

More:Columbus Blue Jackets lose Nyquist 'indefinitely' to undisclosed injury

Sillinger and the Blue Jackets are confident that’s still the case, based on the fact his 20^th birthday is still four months away, but this isn’t anywhere close to the kind of season either side anticipated. His numbers are down in almost every category, including most advanced stats, and there’s a danger of the slump extending through the remainder of the season.

Jan 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger (34) shoots past San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Columbus Blue Jackets need to get Cole Sillinger going

Fixing Sillinger is a job for Blue Jackets management, coaches and the player himself in the final 31 games, following a "bye" week that will be sandwiched around All-Star weekend.

Would a short-term shift to the wing kick-start his scoring engine? Could an assignment to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League be the remedy? Or should Sillinger just continue slugging it out at center for the Blue Jackets until he finally breaks through?

Any of those options seems plausible, so it will be interesting to see which path is taken.

Sillinger, meanwhile, can make the biggest impact by getting to better scoring areas and putting his strong shot on target more. According to Hockey-Reference.com, his shots-through percentage (47.9%) is down about 10% from last season (58.3%) and he’s missing the net about 6% more than his rookie campaign. Shots-through percentage measures how many attempted shots get to the net without missing or being blocked, which provides a good look at Sillinger’s sophomore woes.

“You never want to miss the net,” he said. “You always want to make the goalie make a save, especially when you haven’t scored in a while and the production isn’t really there where I want it to be and where I know it can be.”

Cole Sillinger maturing despite scoring woes for Columbus Blue Jackets

It’s still too early in Sillinger’s career to make any sweeping assumptions either way. At this point, his 3.4% shooting percentage on 58 shots is down quite a bit from the 10.8% that went into the net for him on 148 shots as a rookie, but there’s a chance his low success rate is merely an anomaly.

Sillinger, the 12^th overall pick in 2021, never had trouble scoring at the junior level and what he did last year can’t be overlooked. While matched against some of the league’s top centers at age 18, he netted 16 goals and notched his first NHL hat trick. Now the trick is relocating that scoring touch while still maturing.

“It goes back to trying to make an impact in other areas,” Sillinger said. “The production may not be where I want it to be, but I do certainly feel like I’m being more relied upon when it comes to taking draws or defensive situations. It’s always good to have some trust to ultimately get my game going.”

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger