James van Riemsdyk appeared on Daily Faceoff's Morning Cuppa Hockey with Jonny Lazarus & Colby Cohen today, and had some very flattering things to say about superstar defenseman Zach Werenski. 

JvR was asked about being around Werenski this past season, on and off the ice, and had this to say:

"Yeah, awesome guy! Just was a complete stud for us, and I'm just thinking through the list of guys in my (career) who I've played with over my career. He's definitely like, top defenseman if not top two or three. I put him in the same breath as like Claude Giroux when I played with him, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner. He definitely deserves more notoriety for how good he is. He reminds me of a present-day Scott Niedermayer because he makes it look so easy. So powerful, so smooth, plays every single situation, and just doesn't make a mistake, it feels like ever, for how much he has the puck and how much he's out there. So, I mean again, especially with the type of year that we had, he was for sure a guy that deserves to be in like that Norris Trophy running, if not the Hart running, because of how important he was to our team." 

He also goes on to talk about how good he is defensively as well. "He's a special, special player." 

The trio goes on to gush over Werenski, but admits to forgetting about him because he plays in Columbus, and also admits that if he played in a bigger market, he'd be talked about seven days a week. 

JvR also explains why he chose Detroit to continue his career. van Riemsdyk says he loved his time in Columbus and felt like he was embraced by the team and fans. He praised the facilities, city, fans, and his time in Columbus. He says he was hoping that he could stay in Columbus, but it just didn't work out. 

You can listen to the full interview here. 

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