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Owen Sillinger

Blue Jackets Reassign Daniil Tarasov, Owen Sillinger; Recall Jet Greaves

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The Blue Jackets assigned goaltender Daniil Tarasov and forward Owen Sillinger to AHL Cleveland on Friday, the former heading down on a conditioning stint, per a team release. Columbus recalled netminder Jet Greaves from Cleveland in a corresponding transaction to serve as Elvis Merzļikins’ backup for the foreseeable future.

Tarasov, 25, has made only three starts in the past two months despite not carrying an injury designation. The lack of playing time has stemmed from the Russian’s poor play, as he’s logged just a .857 SV% and 4.23 GAA in 10 appearances this season with a 3-6-1 record.

It’s a disappointing regression from the 2017 third-round pick. Tarasov recorded a promising .908 SV%, 3.18 GAA and 3.9 GSAA in 23 starts and one relief appearance last season behind Merzļikins, ushering in renewed optimism that he could be a long-term backup or tandem option in Columbus.

He’s been essentially unplayable in 2024-25, though, only recording an SV% above .900 in two of his 10 appearances. He’s dropped six straight games dating back to October, allowing at least three goals on each occasion.

Assigning Tarasov to Cleveland on a conditioning loan allows the Jackets to avoid placing him on waivers for now, but it comes with some stipulations. He can only remain in the AHL for 14 days, during which time he counts against the active roster and salary cap, before he must be kept in the NHL or waived.

It’s important to note that Tarasov must have agreed to the conditioning loan – it can’t be a one-sided decision. The 6’5″ netminder has logged time with Cleveland in each of his four previous seasons in North America, both on permanent assignments and injury-related conditioning stints. He has a .893 SV% and a 3.27 GAA in 32 appearances in the minors, good for a 16-11-4 record.

Keeping Tarasov in the minors for a couple of weeks will allow the 23-year-old Greaves to get a more extended audition at the game’s highest level. The Ontario native has played 14 NHL games over the past few seasons while filling in when injuries affected Merzļikins or Tarasov, posting a 4-8-2 record with a 3.45 GAA and .907 SV%. He’s started four of Columbus’ 42 games this year, allowing 14 goals on 127 shots.

Greaves has impressed in the minors ever since Columbus picked him up as an undrafted free agent from the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts in 2021. He’s rocking a career-best .914 SV% and 2.78 GAA in 20 games for Cleveland this year.

Since assigning Tarasov on a conditioning loan doesn’t free up a roster spot for Greaves’ recall, Sillinger heads back to the minors after making his NHL debut on Thursday against the Kraken. The 27-year-old took a minor penalty, skated 13:09, recorded a hit and a block each, and won two of his five faceoffs.

Sillinger had a tough showing possession-wise in his debut, with the Jackets getting out-attempted 17-6 while he was on the ice at 5-on-5. He was a last-minute replacement for his younger brother, Cole Sillinger, who was unavailable with an illness. The former’s reassignment suggests the latter should be good to go tomorrow against the Blues.

Blue Jackets Place Sean Monahan On Injured Reserve

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The Blue Jackets placed top center Sean Monahan on injured reserve on Thursday, general manager Don Waddell said in a team release. His roster spot went to fellow pivot Owen Sillinger, who was recalled from AHL Cleveland under emergency conditions in a corresponding transaction.

Monahan, 30, will miss at least three games with the wrist injury he sustained in Tuesday’s shootout win over the Penguins, something Waddell hinted at to Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff yesterday. Health permitting, he will be eligible to return on Jan. 16 against the Sharks, but without a more specific injury designation from the club, it’s hard to project a return date.

In the meantime, Monahan’s absence is a humongous one for a Columbus squad that’s keeping pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race, currently hanging onto the second wild-card spot with an 18-17-6 record and 42 points. The Ontario native has been resurgent in his first year with the Jackets, on pace to record a point per game for the first time since 2018-19 and just the second time overall in his 12-year NHL career.

At the halfway point of the campaign, Monahan ranks third on the Jackets in goals (14), assists (27) and points (41) while averaging 19:27 per game, which is tops among forwards. His lines, with Kirill Marchenko on the right wing and either Yegor Chinakhov or Dmitri Voronkov on the left wing, have been among the most dominant in the league at controlling play at 5-on-5, recording expected goal shares of 64.9% and 59.0%, respectively, per MoneyPuck. 

The raw goal totals are something to behold, especially for the Voronkov-flanked unit. That trio has outscored opponents 22-5 at 5-on-5. Only three lines – Brayden Point’s in Tampa, Artemi Panarin’s in Manhattan, and Mark Scheifele’s in Winnipeg, have been on the ice for more goals this season.

2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli will step into Monahan’s shoes between Voronkov and Marchenko for tonight’s game against the Kraken. The 20-year-old will look to build on a somewhat disappointing offensive campaign, on pace for 18 goals and 38 points through 82 games. While a left calf laceration truncated Fantilli’s rookie year at 49 appearances last season, he was on pace for 20 goals and 45 points.

Monahan is the fourth Blue Jackets forward to land on IR, joining Chinakhov, Justin Danforth, and captain Boone Jenner.

Whether the 27-year-old Sillinger, the older brother of Columbus’ Cole Sillinger, makes his NHL debut tonight remains to be seen. The club also recalled Luca Del Bel Belluz from Cleveland on Wednesday, and PuckPedia projects him to center the fourth line against Seattle while Sillinger sits in the press box, serving as last-minute injury insurance. He could play if Cole, who head coach Dean Evason said will be a game-time decision with an illness, can’t play.

The elder Sillinger has spent his entire professional career in the Columbus organization, first joining as an undrafted free agent signing by Cleveland out of Bemidji State in 2022. After a few years on minor-league deals, he earned his first NHL contract with the Jackets last June.

Serving as an alternate captain in Cleveland, Sillinger has eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points through 34 AHL games. That ties him for fourth on the club in scoring, doing well to at least put himself in consideration for an NHL game or two. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Blue Jackets Reassign Seven Players

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Oct. 5: The five players mentioned below were returned to AHL Cleveland this morning, along with goaltender Jet Greaves and center Owen Sillinger, per the team.

Oct. 4: For the second time in the past few days, the Blue Jackets have summoned some reinforcements from AHL Cleveland to get another crack in exhibition play after previously being cut from their training camp roster. Defensemen Cole Clayton and Stanislav Svozil were part of a round of recalls a few days back and are now again on the NHL roster, while centers Luca Del Bel Belluz and Hunter McKown and left wing James Malatesta are joining them today as well, the team announced. The quintet will suit up for Columbus tonight as they take on the Penguins in their final preseason game.

Clayton’s, McKown’s, and Svozil’s standings in the organization were covered during their roster moves earlier this week. But the 20-year-old Del Bel Belluz getting another look this late in camp isn’t wholly insignificant. The 6’0″ pivot was a second-round pick in 2022 and, thanks to his November birthday, was eligible for a full-time AHL assignment last year. The Blue Jackets took advantage, placing the youngster on the farm with Cleveland. He impressed, finishing sixth on the team in scoring with 31 points (9 G, 22 A) in 58 games.

There remain some concerns over his defensive game, but it was a strong initial showing on the scoresheet for Del Bel Belluz, who likely warranted a late first-round selection in his draft year. He made his NHL debut in Columbus’ final game of the 2023-24 season against the Hurricanes, scoring his first NHL goal in 9:35 of ice time.

Meanwhile, Malatesta got a bit of a longer look at the NHL level last season, with a rash of injuries creating opportunities for some of Columbus’ younger forwards. The 21-year-old Montreal native didn’t look entirely out of place, posting two goals and two assists for four points with a -1 rating in 11 games. He managed 12 shots on goal and a whopping 41 hits – nearly four per game – while averaging 10:13 per night. The 2021 fifth-round pick is a strong skater and a true energy winger, playing much bigger than his 5’9″, 190-lb frame would indicate. He had 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games for Cleveland last year in his first taste of professional hockey.

East Notes: Michkov, Marchand, Sillinger, Giles

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If preseason is any indication, there won’t be many growing pains for Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov as he adjusts to playing in North America. The 2023 seventh overall pick put his stamp all over the Flyers’ first home win of the exhibition schedule last night, recording a secondary assist and scoring an empty-net insurance marker in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, quite literally making all the game’s offense go through him one way or another.

“He’s been working really hard,” assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Thursday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). “You can tell within our practices and with our skating, he’s made a diligent effort. So, that’s good. He’s backchecking hard, he’s doing all those things. But, you can see his ability to make plays. He generated opportunities for his teammates, he scores himself tonight with a goal and an assist. Played good.”

Many worries about how Michkov might adjust to the NHL centered around a potentially rocky relationship with bench boss John Tortorellaregarding his all-around play. But he’s been complimentary of Michkov’s effort and willingness to go into one-on-one puck battles, calling him “certainly willing to be in the areas to go get the puck.”

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • If Bruins captain Brad Marchand has his way, Morgan Geekie will open the season on his right flank in second-line duties. “I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.” His assessment about not having a ton of reps together is correct – Geekie logged just 25 minutes of ice time last season with Marchand and Charlie Coyle, per MoneyPuck. The 26-year-old is on the upswing after a career-high 17 goals and 39 points for Boston last year but faces competition from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, whose preseason showing Marchand called “encouraging” but added there’s room for improvement.
  • The Blue Jackets might have a second Sillinger on their opening-night roster. 27-year-old Owen Sillinger, Cole Sillinger’s older brother, is among the leading candidates to snag a spot with Justin Danforth potentially not ready to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery, writes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Sillinger spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on minor-league deals and finished third on the team in scoring last season with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) in 69 games. That showing earned him a promotion to a two-way deal with Columbus this summer. He could briefly factor into a bottom-six role before likely landing on waivers when Danforth is ready to return.
  • Panthers prospect Patrick Giles finds himself in a similarly unexpected situation. The 24-year-old has been getting reps on Florida’s fourth line over the past couple days with Tomáš Nosek set to miss a few weeks and has a shot to open the campaign in the NHL, David Dwork of The Hockey News relays. An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, Giles stands at 6’4″ and 203 lbs and posted a career-high 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games last season for AHL Charlotte.

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