The Blue Jackets star is playing hockey and ready for the season.
A lot of the talk has been about the return of Zach Werenski. The star of the Blue Jackets blue line only played 13 games last season and is ready to go after having shoulder surgery last November. He also played through a shoulder injury during the 2017-18 season and had it fixed over the summer. The season after that injury, he played in all 82 games, scored 11 goals and had 44 points. He also had 6 points in 10 playoff games, so it’s safe to say he came back and played just as well as before he got hurt.
Yesterday he played in the Cap City Summer Elite League where he had a goal and three assists. The leagues rule about no contact allows Werenski to get some on-ice cardio in, while also playing actual hockey. He came out and scored right away.
Recently in an interview with NHL.com which you can read here, he was asked about his shoulder to which he said, “My shoulder’s all good, pretty much full go since summer hit”. He seems itching to get some more hockey in before summer ends.
He was also asked about meeting Mike Babcock, “I got to know him a little bit, and you know, I left impressed. That kind of fired me up.” Babcock will rely on his leadership group to help spread the coach’s message before and during the season, and this is where they must shine. Although Werenski says his teammate's are “not concerned” with Babcock’s reputation, fans can’t help but think that there is some trepidation there, but if the players say they’re not worried, we have to believe them.
Zach Werenski seems like he’s fired up and ready for the season, hopefully he can come out and be the same old Z.