Through five games, the Columbus Blue Jackets have found one line they can lean on, and they’re not hiding it.
At 2-3-0, with only two more games this week and the fewest games played in the NHL right now, Columbus has spent the first stretch of the season sorting through its options. Nearly every part of the lineup has been shuffled around by head coach Rick Bowness - except the third line. That group has started four of the team’s five games, and the reason is simple: trust.
Cole Sillinger said the comfort level has carried over from last season.
“Obviously we played together last year, and just picking up where we left off. We take a lot of pride in being reliable in all three zones,” said Sillinger.
That reliability has made the Sillinger-Coyle-Olivier line one of the most stable pieces on the roster, and one of the most effective. They’ve been used to set the tone, establish pace, and handle the hard work that comes with facing top opposing offensive lines. Bowness likes the way they can be counted on in just about any situation.
At the center of it all is Charlie Coyle, who has quickly become the calmest bet on the board for this coaching staff. Bowness pointed to a night in St. Louis last Saturday, when the lines had to be scrambled and he turned to Coyle to make it work.
“The other night, the lines got screwed up because a little bit of flow. So, I threw him out there on the right wing, and he goes down and gets an assist,” said Bowness. “His hockey sense, his IQ, yeah, but it’s the compete in a man, and the character in the man.”
Coyle’s early return has been exactly what the Blue Jackets were hoping for when they gave him a six-year extension this summer. He has five assists in the first five games, and his presence has helped give the third line a more defined identity.
That trio is also putting up eye-catching numbers early, averaging 5.46 expected goals per 60 minutes, which ranks first among NHL lines that have played at least 20 minutes together, per @MoneyPuckdotcom. #CBJ
The production has been there, too. The line is plus-1 so far, and the top two scorers on the team both come from that group. It has been the only line Bowness has left untouched during his recent round of changes, and the message there is clear: this is the unit he trusts most to stay steady while everything else gets moved around.
For Sillinger, the biggest change has been on the scoring side. He already has three goals in five games and is sitting at a point-per-game pace, a sharp jump from last season’s eight goals in 81 games.
He said the focus isn’t on chasing the past.
“I don’t think there’s really an expectation as far as not living in the past, and not thinking about what has gone on in the past of my career,” said Sillinger. “I think being present, recognizing opportunities, and just believing in my abilities with the group here, where we have a lot of belief within our team.”
That belief is showing up in a season that has already featured plenty of change. Since being drafted in 2021, Sillinger has had to adjust to the NHL after a junior career that included multiple 40-plus goal seasons, 22 goals in 48 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League in 2019-20, and 24 goals in 31 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League in his draft year.
He hadn’t matched that finishing touch in Columbus until now, and this start looks different. Sillinger said the group’s confidence and continuity are part of it.
“We’re definitely confident, and chemistry is something we can continue to work on and be built within our group,” said Sillinger. “There has been some shakeups within our team, and some new faces, and we are still molding that chemistry and finding that fit, so to say.”
The Blue Jackets will try to steady things Saturday against the New York Rangers at home before heading to Minnesota for the second half of a back-to-back against the Wild. By the end of the weekend, they could be above .500 - or staring at an even tougher opening stretch.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Culture Reset Is Already Becoming An Accountability Debate
Rick Bowness came back behind the Blue Jackets bench for his first full season with hopes of bringing structure and sharper habits, but early results have not shown much of a reset. Through the first five games, the team has still been too loose with penalties and too uneven in its overall play, a familiar problem for a roster trying to take a real step forward. After losses, Bowness has not hidden his frustration, which has only made the conversation around the team feel more urgent.
What makes the situation more complicated is the leadership vacuum around him. Columbus is still operating without a captain, and the lack of a clear voice on the ice has left Bowness trying to supply accountability from the bench instead. The question now is whether repeated public criticism can actually sharpen the group or whether the message is landing without producing the kind of response the team needs. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Defense Problem Is Making Guillaume Richard Hard To Ignore
The Blue Jackets keep running into the same issue on their blue line: injuries have thinned the group, and the current options have not done enough to stabilize the bottom four. With the defense under pressure and the roster picture getting shakier, attention has started to turn toward Guillaume Richard, who has been building a case in Cleveland with the kind of steady play that makes a call-up harder to dismiss.
Richards appeal is not just about filling a body in the lineup. His AHL work suggests a defenseman who can handle real minutes and add some value beyond simply surviving shifts, which matters for a Columbus team looking for someone who can help rather than patch holes. Ivan Provorov being out longer term only sharpens the urgency, and it leaves the Blue Jackets weighing how long they can keep waiting before giving Richard a look. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Soucys Blue Jackets Role Suddenly Looks Far Less Secure
Carson Soucys first stretch with the Blue Jackets has not gone the way anyone in Columbus hoped, and the early returns have made his place in the lineup feel much less certain. Through his first five games, he has had trouble finding his footing, and the roughest moment came against Florida when a mistake directly helped turn the game against his team.
With injuries still thinning the blue line, Columbus is not exactly overflowing with easy answers, but there are alternatives worth considering. Emil Andrae and Guillaume Richard both profile as options who could give the Jackets a steadier look, and after Soucys recent run of uneven play, there is a real case for keeping him out of the lineup when New York comes to town. [Read more 🡒]