<p>One of the rising young players in Ohio’s capital is sticking around for a couple of more seasons.</p>



<p>On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/columbus-blue-jackets/line-combinations">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> general manager Don Waddell announced the team has signed forward Cole Sillinger to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.25 million through the 2025-26 season.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today's gonna be SILLY! 🤩<br><br>We've signed Cole Sillinger to a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season! <br><br>📝<a href="https://t.co/0IsUKRZSzX">https://t.co/0IsUKRZSzX</a><a href="https://twitter.com/RuoffMortgage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RuoffMortgage</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/KGn01ilOls">pic.twitter.com/KGn01ilOls</a></p>— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL/status/1826258001793261803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>Sillinger was originally taken by the Blue Jackets in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. Even though he was just 18, the Columbus native made the team’s roster out of training camp, and has been one of the Blue Jackets’ top offensive weapons ever since. He is coming off the final year of his entry-level contract where he had a cap hit of $925,000. </p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="142"></div>



<p>Following the 2025-26 campaign, Sillinger will again be a restricted free agent.</p>



<p>“Cole Sillinger is a very smart, two-way center who competes extremely hard at both ends of the ice,” Waddell <a href="https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/cole-sillinger-signs-contract-two-year-contract-with-blue-jackets?utm_source=social&amp;utm_medium=tw&amp;utm_campaign=release&amp;utm_content=sillinger-signs">said in a release</a>. “He played over 200 NHL games before turning 21 and is coming off his best season, so we are looking forward to his continued growth as a player. He is going to be an important part of the present and future of this club.”</p>



<p>After a solid rookie season in which he scored 31 points, Sillinger suffered a sophomore slump in 2022-23, registering just 11 points in 64 games. However, with a new coaching staff last season, he elevated his game, scoring 13 goals and 19 assists for a career-high 32 points. This, despite missing a couple of games in December with an upper-body injury. In 77 appearances, he posted a plus/minus of -4, by far the best in his young career.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="157"></div>



<p>In 220 NHL games, Sillinger has scored 32 goals and 42 assists for 74 points, and a -49 rating. Prior to joining the pro ranks, he played with both the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, and the United States Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampede.</p>



<p>With the signing, the Blue Jackets have 41 of a possible 50 contracts signed for the 2024-25 campaign. <a href="https://capwages.com/teams/columbus_blue_jackets">According to CapWages</a>, Columbus has a projected cap space of over $11.5 million. </p>


Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger