There was a point this season when Adam Boqvist seemed destined for a lost year .
A goal, assist and two points in the Blue Jackets' 4-2 loss Friday to the Seattle Kraken pushed his scoring output to 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in his past 20 games, but the 22-year old defenseman has endured growing pains to get there.
He was a healthy scratch four games into the season , sat out four games and then had a shot from the blue line fracture his left foot in his first game back — a 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 25 . Boqvist, the eighth overall pick in 2018 by the Chicago Blackhawks , missed 24 games and struggled to regain top form once he returned.
Things have since changed for the better , especially with the puck on his stick on power plays. Boqvist's six power-play assists in 28 games is one less than his career high of seven in 35 games for the Blackhawks in 2020-21.
"I think if you ask every power-play guy, it's nice when you score a goal and feel good about yourself," he said. "Power play is a big thing in a game. You can create a lot of energy (for) the team and you can also suck out the energy from the team, as well."
It's been more of the former than latter since Boqvist has become an effective weapon for the Blue Jackets ' top power-play unit. Being a right shot makes it easier to get the puck to Patrik Laine on the left wing ― that group's primary goal ― and Boqvist also feeds Johnny Gaudreau on the right wing while keeping his own shot available.
After going 1 for 4 on power plays against Seattle, the Blue Jackets have netted power-play goals in six of their past 10 games with an effective scoring rate of 21.4% (6 for 28). Boqvist hasn't scored on a power play yet, netting both of his goals at even strength, but he's a big part of the Blue Jackets' recent surge.
He's also improving in the defensive zone with fewer turnovers, cleaner exits, more stick checks and better play along the walls. Those are encouraging signs that Boqvist is trending in the right direction while continuing to gain NHL experience (156 games) going into the finale of a back-to-back Saturday in Ottawa.
Boqvist's biggest challenges are staying healthy and adding strength to his frame (6 feet, 182). After missing 30 games in his Blue Jackets debut last year, he's missed 27 this season.
"We need him every game for his own development, and his game's been trending the right way," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "He's won way more of his 50/50 (battles). We've talked about his skill set (offensively), but that's an area – in his zone – where he's shown attention to detail (by) boxing out and making sure he's doing those secondary things that are important for a 'D' man."
Cole Sillinger swatted a loose puck in the neutral zone past a Kraken defender and skated it into a breakaway Friday night.
It was a great individual effort, but the play ended how too many have this season for the 19-year old center. Goalie Philipp Grubauer didn't budge, Sillinger got off a shot into his chest protector and it was a big save for the Kraken to prevent the game's first goal late in the first period.
Sillinger also got a second shot from father out, but Grubauer stopped that too. Those were his only two shots in the game, but the second-year center contributed positively in other ways, including six attempted shots, two hits and 7 of 12 on draws (58%).
Sillinger was a dangerous goal-scorer at the junior level and netted 16 goals last season for the Blue Jackets , as the NHL's youngest rookie. None of those goals were scored on power plays, three were part of his first career hat trick and Sillinger started this season confident that he'd break the 20-goal mark.
He's nowhere close at two goals with 20 games left and was mired in a 40-game drought before Saturday's game in Ottawa. Still, there's time left to rebound. The Blue Jackets hope Sillinger heats up to close out the regular season and they may keep him playing longer if the Cleveland Monsters qualify for the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoffs.
Sillinger was assigned to the Monsters on Friday and recalled after the AHL's 3 p.m. deadline for players to secure playoff eligibility, which means the Blue Jackets have the option to play him in Cleveland either before or during the postseason.
"If they make the playoffs, that will be a great experience for Cole … just as it was for Zach Werenski (in 2016)," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Hopefully, (they make) a deep run there. If we can get healthier and get some guys playing in Cleveland – if they make the playoffs – Cole would be a great addition."
Kekalainen said no other young Blue Jackets were "papered" to Cleveland because each move burns a recall option and teams only get four of those after the NHL trade deadline. He'd like to use the other three for Monsters standouts who earn a recall to Columbus, including Trey Fix-Wolansky and Josh Dunne.
Despite engaging in talks about possibly adding Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes , Kekalainen and his hockey operations staff were silent before Friday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
"You take the phone calls and see if there's something, somebody has some ideas and something pops up, but we weren't really looking to do much today," Kekalainen said. "We got everything done that we needed (to do), that was necessary, and we got 'em done before the deadline. So, that's why it was a dull day for you guys (reporters)."
Kekalainen's "to do" list included trading three veterans on expiring contracts — Gustav Nyquis t, Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo ― before finding a taker for the final $8.25 million year on Jakub Voracek 's contract. All were checked off by Thursday and Kekalainen added one more that day by flipping 37-year old goalie Jonathan Quick , who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings for Gavrikov and Korpisalo ― to the Vegas Golden Knights .
It left him little to do Friday.
"I'd much rather get them done earlier than right at the deadline and scramble," Kekalainen said. "But we've got a lot of work left to do in the offseason and right now (at the deadline), the opportunities are not there because 20 teams are trying to load up and they're not willing to give up anything. … so, those opportunities will come in the offseason, when there'll be 31 disappointed teams."
Oliver Bjorkstrand became a fan favorite during his seven seasons with the Blue Jackets and made some lasting memories.
He added another during the first TV timeout Friday at Nationwide Arena, when the Blue Jackets played a "welcome back," montage on the video board that led into an ovation by a sellout crowd of 18,712 at Nationwide Arena.
Bjorkstrand, who was traded to the Kraken in an offseason move that was a salary-cap necessity, stood up from the Seattle bench and waved before tapping his heart. Unfortunately for the former Blue Jacket, he left in the third period with a lower-body injury and wasn't part of the Kraken making a goal by Alex Wennberg ― another former Blue Jackets stalwart — stand up as the winner.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets seeing growth in Adam Boqvist
