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Sean Monahan, Columbus Blue Jackets (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Blue Jackets Monahan, Gudbranson, Sillinger All Close to a Return

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mark Scheig | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 5:19 PM ET

Wednesday morning inside the Blue Jackets’ locker room at Nationwide Arena felt different. For the first time since basically Training Camp, it was crowded.

It was so crowded in fact that Cole Sillinger had to have a temporary locker stall put up for him right in the middle of the room. Despite the setup, he was smiling from ear-to-ear. That’s because he just finished partaking in practice with his teammates.

Sillinger wasn’t alone though. Along with the expected skaters, he was joined by Erik Gudbranson and Sean Monahan. For Monahan, it was his first time practicing with the main group since the injury he suffered back in Pittsburgh.

All three spoke to the media on Wednesday after practice. Head coach Dean Evason acknowledged that they’re all close to returning. He said they are all possibilities this week. However, all three will not play Thursday night against the Florida Panthers.

The Blue Jackets play Friday night in Pittsburgh on the second half of back-to-back games. All are now considered to be day-to-day so there is at least a chance one or more could play there. If not then, the team comes home and will practice on Sunday before departing for New York to play the Islanders. It’s only a matter of time before this trio returns to action.

Here are some of the key highlights from Monahan, Gudbranson and Sillinger from their availabilities on Wednesday.

Monahan

“It’s fun. It’s an exciting day for sure,” Monahan said about being back on the ice with the group. “Nice to be back out there with the guys and nice to get back with the team. Guys are working hard to get back. We got an important time of the year and guys are hungry to help push the team to move forward.”

Monahan was straight to the point when asked how he felt on the ice.

“Felt great,” Monahan said with a smile.

In terms of a timeline, it’s in the hands of the training staff. Monahan cannot wait to get back out there given where the team is at in the playoff chase.

“I want to get back as soon as I can. As a player, when you’re sitting in the crowd watching it, it’s never fun. Days are long and you want to be out there competing with the guys. I think it’s an important stretch for our group. It’s something that’s really fun to be a part of. So I’m looking forward to getting back and trying to help the team out.”

Monahan also feels confident he will be able to do everything he normally would in a game although he conceded he needs to see how it goes early on.

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Monahan said about his ability to take faceoffs etc. I think we’ll see when I play a game. I feel like I should be able to do everything I got to do. It’s going to be on me to see where I’m at. But yeah, I’m feeling good. As soon as I get the green light, I’m sure I’ll be out there.”

Monahan did also admit he thought his absence would be a lot shorter than it was.

“I had no idea to be honest. I got an x-ray after it happened and wasn’t broken so I thought I was good to go. But unfortunately, I tried to go out there and it didn’t work and slowly tried after. It just wasn’t feeling right. Unfortunate. But I’m back now and hopefully I’ll be playing soon.”

Gudbranson

Gudbranson as of Wednesday openly admitted that he was not quite ready to return yet. But did say soon.

“They just want this to be fully great,” Gudbranson said.

This is the third shoulder surgery of Gudbranson’s career. He said this one was different than the others. He also said the rehab was different too.

When he does get back, Gudbranson is going to keep things simple.

“I’m not overthinking it. I’ve done this for a long time now. I have a good gauge on where my game is and starts with being simple. So I’m gonna go out there and just be efficient, be simple, be as positionally correct as I can and rely on my teammates. So I’m not overthinking it too much.”

On the rehab, Gudbranson said this time he had to do things in stages.

“This one, it’s less gradual. There’s more stages. There were blocks of time where I was just absolutely not allowed to do certain things and then okay, now you can do this. We can try this and slowly ramp it up. We have an awesome team and awesome medical department here. With this surgery, I certainly understand that it’s their decision. We just gotta get ready within that.”

Sillinger

“I’ve been out pretty close to three weeks now. You’re obviously working hard to get back healthy and back in the lineup. I’m confident that once I’m ready once I do step back in, I can pick up right where I left off and even I’ll have gears in my game. I’m just super thankful that I have the opportunity to play hockey again this year.”

Sillinger opened up about what it was like to miss the Stadium Series.

“It sucks. It was my first outdoor game. It would have been (the first) in my career. But what’s most important is that the guys got a big win there. For me, it could have been a lot worse. The goal here is to play more meaningful games down the stretch than that outdoor game. So I’m thankful to have that opportunity.”

Sillinger said he isn’t going to rush back. He wants to ensure he is fully ready.

“You don’t want to rush into anything when you’re feeling good. When I’m back ready, I’m not going to be thinking about anything that’s going on with my body. I’m going to be out there being able to play free and play hard in my game. Obviously, you don’t want to be out too long. You want to help the group and get back in as quickly as you can. But with that being said, you want to be making sure you’re safe as well.”