Rookies Sillinger, Chinakhov survive Blue Jackets NHL roster cutdown
Brian Hedger
It looks like the Blue Jackets’ standout rookies did enough to make the NHL roster.
Things could change before the NHL’s 5 p.m. Monday deadline to submit official rosters, but Cole Sillinger, 18, and Yegor Chinakhov, 20, were not included in the team’s paring of seven players Sunday.
The cut dropped the Jackets’ roster to 24, but that includes forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, who has a knee injury and won’t count toward the NHL’s maximum of 23 players for the regular season. That means Sillinger and Chinakhov, barring trades or other unforeseen transactions, are on track to start the season in Columbus.
Trimmed Sunday were goalie Daniil Tarasov, defensemen Gavin Bayreuther, Gabriel Carlsson and Mikko Lehtonen plus forwards Justin Danforth, Liam Foudy and Kevin Stenlund. Bayreuther, Danforth, Foudy and Tarasov were assigned to the Cleveland Monsters, while Carlsson, Lehtonen and Stenlund were placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Cleveland.
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Sillinger and Chinakhov could crack the Jackets’ lineup Thursday for the season opener against the Arizona Coyotes at Nationwide Arena. Coach Brad Larsen has said both rookies need to play regularly, no matter where they’re assigned, and both have an advanced hockey sense.
Chinakhov was selected 21st overall in 2020 and Sillinger was the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft.
“(Sillinger has) a lot of pro habits that, literally, you teach guys for years to try and grasp,” Larsen said. “The right time to change, to want the puck when you’re tired, just the understanding of your structure, he already understands. His hockey acumen is really good for his age.”
The same applies to Chinakhov, who helped Avangard Omsk win the Kontinental Hockey League championship last season and was named that league’s top rookie.
“He’s another guy who thinks it,” Larsen said. “He’s a different player than ‘Silli,’ how he plays the game, but equally as impressive. I’ve been impressed with his details and his processing, too. You talk to him and he understands really well. Sometimes it’s tougher to communicate what he wants, but he’s asked some great questions, and again, he’s applying it.”
Each rookie made it tough on the Blue Jackets’ coaching staff and front office to determine their best developmental course.
Chinakhov’s immediate future had nothing to do with his entry-level contract, which will burn the first of three years this season. Sillinger was a little more complicated because of the options available.
Sillinger’s junior rights are with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. Returning him to Medicine Hat would allow the Blue Jackets to delay the start of his three-year entry-level contract, which could be beneficial for the team from a business perspective. They can still make that decision and save the contract year, but must return him to the WHL before he plays nine NHL games.
Sillinger’s growth as a player might be better served in the pro ranks. He impressed all preseason, beginning with a dominant performance at the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament prior to training camp. Sillinger also held his own in camp scrimmages, getting opportunities to center top-six wingers, and he showed sustained progress through five preseason games.
Sillinger could also be assigned to the Monsters, unlike most players his age from the Canadian major junior ranks. That would also burn his first contract year, but might be better for his development.
Domi impresses
The Blue Jackets originally weren’t expecting to get Domi back from offseason shoulder surgery until sometime in November at the earliest.
The 26-year old forward had other plans, rehabbing seven days a week in the offseason and making his official return to action Saturday about a month ahead of schedule. He took a solid hit from Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang early in the Jackets’ 4-3 overtime loss at Nationwide Arena and skated away from it with no apparent issues.
Domi, who skated on Sillinger’s line, also scored a goal to put the Jackets up 3-1 early in the third. Larsen hasn’t committed to dressing Domi in the season-opener Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes, but all signs are pointing that direction.
“Letang got him pretty good,” Larsen said. “(He) bounced right up, no problems and was shaking his head like, ‘I’m good to go.’ Those are the situations you hope for and you cross your fingers. And he got through it. As far as his game? I thought he did a really good job. He hasn’t had a scrimmage, hasn’t had anything and he jumped right in.”
Larsen seeks balance
Jack Roslovic is a skilled center, but he didn’t get a chance to skate between Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek in the preseason. The reason is that Larsen has concerns about loading up one forward group with three like-minded talents with defensive limitations.
Roslovic played with Laine some last season, after a trade brought both to Columbus, but it wasn’t a dominant combination and defensive concerns arose. Roslovic worked on his defensive game in the offseason with Mark Letestu, studying video with the former Blue Jackets center, but Larsen is still a little hesitant to put him with Laine and Voracek.
“That’s not a slight on Jack,” he said. “Jack’s got his strong skill set. Do you load up three guys that are just massive skill, when we can even it out? You’d like a guy that maybe is a little bit more on the defending side in the middle, but again, we’ll see. Jack could be there by game two. There’s a lot of pencil there, let’s put it that way.”
Roslovic centered the Jackets’ second line Saturday, skating with Gustav Nyquist and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Memorializing Kivlenieks
The Blue Jackets have a number of things planned for this season to honor goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, who was killed July 4 by a fireworks mortar shell while attending a gathering at the offseason home of Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace.
Kivlenieks’ mother, stepfather, sister and aunt will attend the team’s season opener Thursday at Nationwide Arena and participate in a ceremonial puck drop before the game. A banner bearing his No. 80 will be unveiled and will hang at the arena all season. The No. 80 will also be painted into the ice behind both nets for the season opener and Blue Jackets players will wear “80” stickers on their helmets all season.
In the team’s release on memorial plans, the Blue Jackets also included an update on the progress of the Matiss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund, which was established to support youth hockey in both Columbus and his home country of Latvia. The Blue Jackets’ organization and McConnell family pledged $80,000 to match donations made to the fund, which has raised more than $100,000 thus far.
The fund will also benefit from fundraisers planned for opening night by the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation.
Friedman fined for spearing Kuraly
The NHL’s department of player safety issued a fine of $1,812.50 to Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman on Sunday for his actions at 9:47 of the first period Saturday night.
Friedman speared Sean Kuraly in the midsection after the Blue Jackets’ center clipped Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry during a play in the Pittsburgh zone. Kuraly was called for goaltender interference, but Columbus wound up with a five-minute power play after Friedman was assed a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct. Penguins forward Sam Lafferty was also issued a penalty during the incident for a blindside cross-check right after Friedman’s jab.
“It really surprised me, to be honest,” Kuraly said. “I wasn’t intentionally running into the goalie. I didn’t want to get a penalty. I saw the replay. I ran into him. It was a penalty. He was outside of his crease, which doesn’t matter, but I don’t think it was malicious or anything. They had a power play until they did that.”
Friedman’s fine is the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players’ Association. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger