The Columbus Blue Jackets kept a familiar name in the fold on the first day of NHL free agency, re-signing forward Owen Sillinger to a one-year, two-way contract.
According to PuckPedia, the deal comes with an NHL cap hit of $850,000 and a minor-league salary of $225,000 for the 2026-27 campaign.
Sillinger has been in the organization since wrapping up his NCAA career at Bemidji State in 2022. He first joined the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, on a minor-league contract and quickly established himself as one of the team’s more productive scorers. That run eventually led to an NHL contract in July 2024, when the Blue Jackets signed him to a one-year deal.
The brother of fellow Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger has now spent three straight seasons on one-year contracts, and he has earned no more than the league minimum by NHL standards.
His NHL debut finally came on Jan. 9, 2025, but it remains his only game with Columbus.
In the AHL, the Regina, Sask. native has continued to be a steady offensive presence for the Monsters. He has reached 30 points in three of his four seasons there and set a career high with 40 points in 2023-24, when Cleveland advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
This past season, Sillinger put up 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 69 games as Cleveland finished third in the North Division. He then added four points in nine playoff games while the Monsters reached the division finals before falling to the eventual Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies.
Across 271 regular-season AHL games, Sillinger has totaled 50 goals and 98 assists for 148 points. He has also recorded 10 points in 23 postseason games.
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