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Sillinger, Christiansen cleared as Columbus Blue Jackets finally regain health
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- Sillinger, Christiansen cleared as Columbus Blue Jackets finally regain health
The Blue Jackets' injury report is finally down to a number that put a smile on coach Dean Evason's face Wednesday after an optional practice at Nationwide Arena.
After hearing a reporter's comment about not having many injuries left, Evason quipped: "How about zero?"
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Technically, the number of injured Blue Jackets isn't down to zero and won't be due to forward Kevin Labanc's season-ending shoulder surgery. The number of injuries to players who could still play, however, is now a goose egg.
Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger (left) skates alongside left wing Dmitri Voronkov during practice at Ohio Stadium on March 1.
Evason said forward Cole Sillinger (shoulder) and defenseman Jake Christiansen (upper body) are medically cleared to play Friday against the Vancouver Canucks . That means the coaching staff has a full roster of 25 players — 14 forwards, nine defensemen and two goalies — to pick from.
While that's refreshing news for an injuury-plagued team, it also creates a puzzle for the Blue Jackets' coaching staff to solve during the team's 12-game push for a playoff spot in a tight Eastern Conference race.
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"It's great, but it is challenging to try to figure out the balance of who plays well together, but also there's an element of the room ... the chemistry, all that kind of stuff," Evason said. "But I'll tell you this, it's nice for us that we feel very comfortable that whatever decisions we make, the team's just going to go play. We haven't had a group here that's disrupted when they've sat out or they're not playing."
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Christiansen (2) fights for the puck with Vegas Golden Knights left wing Brandon Saad (20) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 13, 2025.
Should Sillinger and/or Christiansen play Friday, it'll be interesting to see which players from the Jackets' 4-3 shootout victory Monday at the New York Islanders sit. Yegor Chinakhov , a winger who started the season with a regular role, was among those scratched Monday.
Christian Fischer , a power forward, was also scratched along with three defensemen — Christiansen, Jack Johnson and Jordan Harris . Sillinger will need to be activated off injured reserve prior to his return.
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James van Riemsdyk , Zach Aston-Reese and recently acquired forward Luke Kunin might be removed from the lineup to make room for Sillinger, while finding a spot for Christiansen could be tougher among the six defensemen who played Monday in New York.
Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson passes the puck against the Capitals on Sept. 30.
Erik Gudbranson , an experienced veteran with a right-handed shot, returned from October shoulder surgery in that game and his partner, lefty Denton Mateychuk , appears to have a regular lineup spot.
Damon Severson was a healthy scratch for a few games earlier this season, but he and Ivan Provorov were statistically one of the Jackets' best pairs against the Islanders. No matter who sits, the Jackets now have a stacked competition for lineup spots, and that's without including center Jack Williams, a college free agent who signed this week out of Northeastern.
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"I think it's a credit to our leadership group that they are the ones that are driving that (understanding) into our team and leading in that department," Evason said.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sillinger, Christiansen cleared as Columbus Blue Jackets regain health
