Zach Werenski and his Team USA mates are going to have their hands full tonight against Canada. Will Werenski be leaned on or will his minutes be paired down like they were in the first game these two teams played last week?
In the 3-1 win against Canada on the 15th, Werenski was paired mainly with Adam Fox and played a total of 13:47. Many CBJ fans thought this was a slight to Zach, but in fact, it was a strategy employed by Mike Sullivan.
Werenski's playstyle is that of a roving defenseman who plays with an offensive mindset. While trying to hold a lead against Canada, the American coaches decided to play Werenski and Adam Fox a bit less. That's no slight to those two defensemen at all, it was just that at that moment, the USA decided to play their defensive defensemen a lot more to try to keep the lead.
But now Charlie McAvoy is out and that means that Werenski may be counted on to play more of a defensive style. This is Zach's time to shine.
Against Finland and Sweden, he did just that and played big minutes in the process. In the Canada game, he had an assist. In that game, he and McAvoy got a serious dose of humility when Connor McDavid blew by them both at a whopping 22.67 miles per hour. No defenseman on Earth was stopping McDavid on that play.
Charlie McAvoy won't be playing tonight due to injury, so Werenski will need to step up and play huge minutes in an attempt to beat the Canadians in Boston. Quinn Hughes won't be joining the American squad as hoped, so this defensive unit will need to play elite tonight.
Can Zach Werenski rise to the occasion and slow down Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby?
Zach Werenski has hit the international spotlight and has everyone talking about him. He's going to be a Norris finalist, and so far, everyone who has finally got to watch what Columbus fans have watched all season long agrees - Werenski is a Norris candidate whether anyone likes it or not.
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