2024-25 Season Spotlight: Zach Werenski

Columbus' dark-horse MVP candidate

Credit: NHL.com

Preseason prognostications weren’t kind to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Virtually every major outlet buried them in the league’s cellar. After finishing 29th last year and losing a pair of offensive catalysts, you could understand why.

Fast-forward to mid-January, and they’re in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.

Among the main reasons for the team’s first-half success (new head coach Dean Evason’s more assertive system, the Kirill Marchenko-powered top line, claiming Dante Fabbro off waivers), none has been as eye-popping as Zach Werenski’s ascension to top-five territory. Here’s how he got there.

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Transition Play

Evason wants his Blue Jackets to play with greater pace. With that goal in mind, the blue line has been asked to join the fray and press for offense.

Werenski must be thrilled about this development. Don’t let the 27-year-old’s economical stride fool you. He’s one of the purest skaters in the world (94th percentile in top speed). Hell, most players need to full-on sprint in order to catch up to his cruise control. When he decides to put the pedal to the metal, you’re cooked within seconds. Turns out he’s 10 pounds lighter this season too:

“That was a big focus for me this summer, just getting in better shape, so when I play all these minutes, I’m not just coasting around during them. I’m making an impact.”

That change has gone straight to his legs. He was clocked at 20-22 miles per hour 87 times last season. He’s registered 85 such bursts in 44 games this year. On average, his game is noticeably quicker in 2024-25.

How exactly is he building up that speed, though? See…that’s the thing. He can impose his tempo in multiple ways, in multiple phases, on every shift:

• On DZ recoveries, he’ll fly up middle ice or the weak side to provide an additional outlet. He’s become one of the team’s most reliable targets on the breakout, which is quite unusual for a rearguard.

• On NZ resets, Werenski and Fabbro often initiate give-and-gos to ensure that the former can catch and run. Every touch has a head of steam behind it.

• Off the puck, he alternates between direct verticality and trailing routes on the rush.

Thanks to a permanent green light and a fairly dependable partner in Fabbro, he’s become a terror in space (CBJ 8):

While Werenski has flirted with these tendencies before, his coach’s backing has allowed him to fully embrace the quarterback-rover hybrid role, activating earlier in transition to throw the opposition off balance. When he isn’t sending crisp link-up passes or pinpoint bombs to his teammates, he’s taking matters into his own hands. Well, his feet, I guess. And this isn’t any old extra body. He’s a 6’2”, 211-pounder who boasts elite skating and deft puck-carrying ability.

Watch the ease with which Columbus navigates the NZ when he rolls downhill:

Opponents begin these clips in reasonable shape. Then he takes off and all hell breaks loose. Beyond his wheels, Werenski displays sharp timing on when to spring forward. Rather than putting his head down and racing north ASAP, he floats onto a parallel line to invite easy exchanges before flooring it.

Columbus’ systematic aggressiveness has also unleashed his puck skills on unwitting victims. He complements his nifty passing and deceptive release with low-key shiftiness, keeping the puck on a string that seems shorter than it is because his frame doesn’t require explosive east-west bursts. No shake-and-bake. One swift cut, and he’s gone.

It’s effortless:

This solo skill is especially helpful when opponents retreat into a shell, but it reduces their margin for error overall. Commit the slightest hiccup, and he can serve up a devastating counter in no time flat.

Finally, there’s the off-puck business. When Werenski isn’t in possession yet still wishes to push the envelope, he’ll frequently drive through the guts of the ice and carry the opposition’s deepest defender with him. The spacing and assignments are suddenly unrecognizable. His mere presence sows mass confusion.

Look at how he breaks Detroit down without touching the puck past the red line:

Following a dish out wide, Werenski zips by Dylan Larkin (DET 71) in middle ice. This forces Moritz Seider (DET 53) to pick him up, which then creates the telling race on the weak side. Joe Veleno (DET 90) can’t react in time to close the gap on Sean Monahan (CBJ 23).

Take note of Werenski’s path as well. Since he’s commanded the attention of the last man back, he curls toward the inside hashes to coax Seider out of James van Riemsdyk’s (CBJ 21) passing lane. Tap-in.

The advantages created by his bolder approach don’t merely lead to cleaner entries. He’s brought a steady stream of rushes to the party. Cutthroat offense is vital to a club with mediocre talent. Although Evason’s designs have represented a breath of fresh air, Werenski is elevating them. When he’s around, the Blue Jackets slice through the NZ like a hot knife through butter. When he’s not, they hit an impasse:

Werenski no longer settles for facilitation plus the odd flurry. With more creative license, he’s aiming to make a difference on every single touch.

Scary hours for the Eastern Conference.

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OZ Aggressiveness

Much like in the NZ, the 2015 eighth overall pick has assumed a heavier burden in the OZ. He’s accepted the challenge of being the guy night in and night out.

From a stylistic perspective, Evason has emphasized a few patterns (e.g. an attacking mentality from the flanks), but Werenski’s weaponry doesn’t seem fundamentally different…other than in volume (similar shot locations but a huge uptick in shot count). His previous high-water mark was 216 shots. This year? He’s on track to register 319 bids on target.

Whereas his legs are fueling the club’s transition play, his daring and trigger-happiness are raising the team’s OZ potency:

Considering his build and toolkit, Werenski 2.0 is downright frightening to stare down. He distributes the puck effectively. He alternates between firing for traffic and absolute lasers. He’s slippery enough to manufacture breathing room 1-on-1. He can disappear if your gaze wanders for a fraction of a second.

Simply put, he places a ton of pressure on the defense. Oftentimes, it’s right from puck drop. Look at how promptly he attacks following a faceoff win:

From the same setup (strong-side draw):

• Shot for tip

• High-glove wrister

• Slot pass

• Net drive

That’s how you pin the opposition—and its goaltender—on its heels. Factor in some opportunistic roving, and Werenski is conjuring “What is he even doing there?” moments almost every night:

Forget about parking it at the point. He’ll creep in to extend possessions, he’ll crash down to test your back-door mettle, he’ll zoom below the goal line to scramble your coverage responsibilities. You never know where he’ll surface or what his plans are.

The truly frightening part? He’s composed amid the chaos. Here’s an example of his off-puck patience:

The instant he senses Dmitri Voronkov’s (CBJ 10) intention to one-touch the puck to Adam Fantilli (CBJ 19) in the circle, he points his toes up ice in sync with the center’s reception. In doing so, he calls for a high-percentage and high-danger feed across the royal road.

Your average defenseman would stay shallow enough to give netminder Philipp Grubauer (SEA 31) a fighting chance. Aggro offensive defensemen might lurch toward the back post and demand that their teammate thread the needle.

World-class defensemen find the sweet spot.

Judging by his offensive output, he’s excelled in that regard this season. Despite logging the highest average ice time in the league (26:40), he’s producing at his highest rate ever (2.56 pts/60). He leads all defensemen in goals (15). He’s tied for the lead in points (50). If you’re of the belief that primary points reign supreme, he’s tops among blueliners there as well:

A more adventurous and confident Werenski has yielded stunning results. He’s become a monster in transition. His PP numbers have skyrocketed across the board. Overall, he’s seven points away from his career-best tally with 38 games remaining on the schedule.

Assuming he can drag Columbus into the postseason, Norris consideration is a given. Since he’s one of two defensemen who are pacing their team in scoring (Quinn Hughes), the Hart Trophy isn’t off the table either.

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The Blue Jackets’ surprising start hasn’t been about defense. They’re conceding the sixth-most expected goals and second-most actual goals in the NHL. Although Werenski himself has been decent in the DZ, his breakout stems from a teamwide desire to fight fire with fire.

Evason has granted him that freedom—and his gamble is paying off in spades.