COLUMBUS, Ohio — When asked if second-year center Cole Sillinger was OK with the Blue Jackets’ decision to send him to AHL Cleveland later this season, GM Jarmo Kekalainen offered an abrupt response.
“Yeah,” Kekalainen said. “That’s part of being professional.”
But let’s be clear, there are at least a couple of reasons why a player like Sillinger might balk at a trip to the minor leagues:
• If the demotion happens before the regular season is finished, Sillinger would start drawing paychecks based on his minor-league salary ($80,000) instead of his NHL salary ($832,500).
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• After a 16-goal rookie season and after 136 games in the NHL, a first-ever demotion to the minors could be a humbling experience.
Sillinger made it clear on Monday, however, before the Blue Jackets flew to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins on Tuesday, that his attitude has not been turned sour by his prolonged struggles this season.
“We had a good chat,” Sillinger said of Kekalainen. “We didn’t really discuss when or if or how I was (going to Cleveland), or anything specific. It was just that they’re going to make me available if (Cleveland) makes the playoffs.
“For me, last year at the end of the season, I went to the (IIHF) World Championships and experienced that (with Team Canada). This year, if they get to the playoffs, that also could be good for me.
“I’ve played six playoff games in my life, and that’s when I was 15 years old (with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League). As a young guy, that could be a fun experience. A lot of guys in here have done that.”
The Blue Jackets never thought they’d be in this spot, but they’re last place in the NHL’s overall standings. With just 20 wins in 63 games, the Blue Jackets’ points percentage (.365) makes this the second-worst season in franchise history. In 2001-02, the franchise’s second season, they played at a .348 clip.
They never thought they’d be here with Sillinger, either.
As the youngest player in the NHL last season, he had 16 goals and 31 points, and he played a two-way game that was far beyond his years. But sophomore slumps are real. He has two goals this season, including a 41-game streak without a goal.
There have been three major holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s — since Sillinger last scored a goal on Nov. 17 vs. Montreal.
“Obviously it’s in the back of my head,” Sillinger said. “The last little bit, I feel like I’m playing better and getting chances. It’s not like I’m not getting chances. It’s just a matter of bearing down and putting one in and going from there.
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“I feel like, if anything, if there was a year to go through this, to have more of a learning year, a humbling year, this is the year. And if you go around this room, I don’t think anyone’s having the year they want to have.”
The Blue Jackets have been contemplating a demotion to AHL Cleveland for Sillinger since at least the middle of the season, just as a means to play higher in the lineup and rediscover his offensive confidence.
Currently, Sillinger is playing a fourth-line role, replacing the injured Sean Kuraly (strained oblique) between wingers Eric Robinson and Mathieu Olivier.
“The goal is to keep pushing, keep fighting, keep working hard,” Sillinger said. “My attitude and my work ethic will get me out of this, and at the end of my career, I’ll look back at this season and maybe be able to laugh about it.”
In order to make him eligible to play in the AHL during the remainder of the regular season or the playoffs, he needed to be sent to Cleveland before 3 p.m. on Friday. The Blue Jackets recalled him shortly after 3 p.m. and he played later that night against Seattle.
By early next season, once he’s dressed in 160 NHL games, Sillinger would need to clear waivers before he could be sent to AHL Cleveland, meaning this season is probably the last chance the Jackets could take this approach.
The Jackets could have “cleared” other rookies to play in Cleveland along with Sillinger — Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko and Tim Berni were eligible — but opted to let them finish the season in Columbus. Yegor Chinakhov was sent down last month after returning from an ankle injury, so he is eligible to play.
AHL Cleveland is currently four points out of a playoff spot in the AHL North Division.
“If they make the playoffs, that will be a great experience for Cole, just as it was for Zach Werenski (in 2015-16),” Kekalainen said. “Hopefully, they could have a deep run there. Cole would be a great addition.”
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Another benefit if Sillinger goes to play in Cleveland? A chance to play organized hockey for the first time with his brother Owen, who is six years older. Owen Sillinger has 9-19-28 in 54 games for the Monsters.
“I’m confident in my ability and work ethic and my mindset,” Sillinger said. “Eventually, that’s going to be the separating factor for me and my career.
“If everything was always smooth sailing, it would be easy, right? These are the times when you can really learn some things about yourself and really make strides as a player.”
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
