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Mathieu Olivier, Columbus Blue Jackets (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Blue Jackets’ Olivier Talks Cole Sillinger’s Development & Tom Wilson’s Impact

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mark Scheig | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 4:45 PM ET

The Columbus Blue Jackets were reeling offensively. Coming off consecutive shutouts at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, head coach Dean Evason needed to find a spark.

It was at this point that Evason tried some different line combinations. One of those new combos resulted in the line of Dmitri Voronkov, Cole Sillinger and Mathieu Olivier.

On the surface, seeing this trio together made perfect sense. They all bring a level of physicality that the Blue Jackets needed in their game.

They’ve only been together for a couple games, but the impact they’re having is easy to see.

In Tuesday’s win over the Ottawa Senators, Voronkov scored the opening goal off an assist from Olivier. Later on, Olivier added a goal himself.

In Thursday’s win over the Buffalo Sabres, although they didn’t get on the scoresheet, Olivier and Sillinger each logged just under 16 minutes while Voronkov was near 14 minutes. They’re a very hard line to play against. Not only can they bring it physically, they can create havoc around the opposing goalie by driving the net.

Evason admitted putting this line together for that physicality element.

“We were hoping to have just a physicality, a line that can keep the puck out of the net but play with that physicality as far as getting in on the forecheck being big and strong,” Evason said. “Voronkov made an unbelievable block at the end too and commitment to defense but they also scored (in the Ottawa game.) Yeah, it was a good line.”

Olivier took time on Friday after practice to talk with the Hockey Writers about his new line. Specifically, he opened up about what they want to do as a line and how good Sillinger will be and already is. Then we talk about Washington Capitals’ Tom Wilson and the respect that’s there.

New Line

Sometimes, keeping things simple in hockey is the best approach. Olivier thinks that their overall approach makes them a very good line.

“Very straightforward hockey players,” Olivier said of his line. “It’s a very good line. Three guys that are smart and have hockey sense in different ways. I feel like Voronkov and I have a similar thinking offensively because we want to use our bodies to create space. Sillinger’s a little more explosive but also brings that physicality and gets in the hard area. I think we do a really good job of getting some ozone time. Smart players so they’re easy to play with.”

Sillinger is perceived by many as a physical two-way center. Olivier believes there is much more to Sillinger’s game than just the physicality. In his mind, we may only being seeing a tip of the iceberg.

“He’s just an all-around player,” Olivier said of Sillinger. “He’s just very smart, very mature for his age. You can put him in any spot in the lineup. He’ll respond accordingly. Just one of those players that you cannot win without. He comes from a hockey family. You can just tell the way he thinks the game, the way he reacts to situations, the way he takes care of himself off the ice. It’s above average as far as commitment.”

“He’s a very complete player. I think he could develop into a Sean Monahan type eventually as far as his two-way presence and what he can bring to a hockey team.”

Reaching 300 Hits

Olivier reached 300 hits for the season during Thursday night’s game against the Sabres. That’s second in the NHL only to Vancouver’s Kiefer Sherwood. It means Olivier is doing his job every night. That’s also the way he views this stat.

“It’s a good milestone. You still have to throw them. I think it’s just trying to be consistent in my role which is a hard thing when you play a heavy, physical game. It’s hard to be consistent every night because your body breaks down and you have to take care of yourself and mentally, it becomes a bit of a grind. But I think hitting that milestone, it proves that I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish this year, which was to be consistent every night in my role and always bring that presence, that core to my identity.”

Tom Wilson Respect

The Blue Jackets’ next two games will feature a matchup of two of the toughest players in the NHL with Olivier facing Washington Capitals’ forward Tom Wilson. Wilson reached 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career this season.

Olivier has a tremendous amount of respect for the way Wilson plays the game and the way he’s progressed in his career. He says he tries to model himself after Wilson.

“He’s the benchmark in that role,” Olivier said of Wilson. “He can do it all. He had the assist on Ovechkin’s goal. That didn’t get unnoticed to me, but I think he’s the ultimate power forward. He’s developed that over the years. He’s a 30-goal scorer now. He’s the benchmark for that type of player. I think you have him. You got Brady Tkachuk in there. I try to be like those guys that bring that style of game.”

Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

“He hit 30 goals this season. And he hadn’t hit it before in his career. That just speaks to the consistency in his development and just getting better and better every year. That’s something I really look to as far as the way he plays and the way he develops.”

Olivier had never scored more than five goals in a season prior to 2024-25. He has 18 goals and 31 points while not missing a single game this season with just four more to go in the regular season. He’s on the verge of a 20-goal, 300-hit season and is widely regarded as one of the toughest, if not the toughest player in the NHL today.

Players like Olivier, Tkachuk and Wilson don’t come around often. But when they do, they can impact the game in so many ways. Thanks to Wilson’s example, Olivier could become the next benchmark for power forwards in the future.