Werenski has 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points in 52 games played. He's on pace for 30 goals, 63 assists, and 93 points.
Zach Werenski is having a tremendous season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. One might say he's not only the Norris favorite but also should get a lot of votes for the Hart Trophy as well. There isn't a single player in the NHL more important to his team this year than Zach Werenski, and I don't think it can be argued at this point.
Werenski has 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points in 52 games played. His 20 goals are first among all NHL defensemen, while his 42 assists are 4th. After last night's game, he was first overall in points, but after Evan Bouchard had three assists, he now sits one point behind the Edmonton Oiler Defensemen.
He's on pace for 30 goals, 63 assists, and 93 points. The 63 assists would break his single-season assist record, and the 93 points would break Artemi Panarin's single-season points record of 87.
In the 4-0 shutout win last night against the Chicago Blackhawks, Zach Werenski scored his 20th goal of the season. He became the first defenseman in the league to hit the 20-goal mark and sits one ahead of Caps D-Man Jakob Chychrun. He extended his points streak to seven consecutive games (2-8-10) and also has points in 11 of his past 12 games (4-12-16) as well as in 20 of his past 22 since Dec. 11 (11-21-32).
Werenski has points in each of his past eight games against Chicago (2-15-17) and has totaled 4-8-12 in his nine career games at Nationwide Arena, with 2-7-9 in his past four games on home ice.
Another game, another Zach Werenski milestone. But wait, there's more!
Werenski became the third American-born defenseman in NHL history to record consecutive 20-goal seasons (career-high 23 in 2024-25), joining Phil Housley (6-straight from 1986-87 to 1991-92) and Reed Larson (5-straight from 1979-80 to 1983-84).
His 133 career goals are good enough for 13th all-time among American-born defensemen. He's on pace to move past Justin Faulk (141) into 12th after this season. By the end of the 26-27 season, he could move into the top 10 all-time, depending on how Caps defenseman John Carlson plays. By the end of 27-28, he could very well move past the legendary Chris Chelios, who has 185 career goals.
His third career 20-goal season ties Kirill Marchenko, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and David Vyborny for the fifth most in Blue Jackets history, behind Rick Nash (8), Cam Atkinson (6), R.J. Umberger (4), and Boone Jenner (4).
We are witnessing what very well could be the prime of a hall-of-fame career. Zach Werenski is already the greatest defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history, and it's possible he ends up being the best overall player in CBJ history. Yes, even ahead of the great Rick Nash.
Enjoy it!
Up Next: Columbus heads to the Olympic break and won't play again until February 26th. Zach Werenski and Elvis Merzlikins will head to Italy to represent the U.S. and Latvia that starts next week.
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