Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has officially been named a finalist for the 2025 James Norris Memorial Trophy.
This comes as no shock to anyone who has followed the CBJ this season, as Werenski was a constant force on the ice for the Jackets all season long.
Zach finished the season with a career high of 82 points. He scored 23 goals and had 59 assists, both of which are franchise highs for Columbus.
He owns the franchise records for most total goals by a defenseman, most total assists by a defenseman, most assists in a season by a defenseman, most goals in a season by a defenseman, 2nd most points by any player in a season, 2nd most assists by any player in a season, and he's the third leading scorer by any player in franchise history - sitting one point ahead of Boone Jenner.
The most important stat for Werenski, though, was the fact that he played 81 games and stayed healthy all season long. He has only played all 82 games once in his career, back in 2018-19.
Werenski also had a home point streak that lasted for 22 games. It ended on February 25, 2025. It was the third-longest in NHL history. The streak tied Phil Housley for the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. It was also the fourth-longest home point streak by an active player in the league, with only Nathan MacKinnon (35 GP in 2023-24), Connor McDavid (26 GP in 2023-24), and Nikita Kucherov (24 GP in 2022-23) having a longer streak.
In many people's eyes, Zach Werenski has been a player who carried his team and is deserving of the Norris, regardless of what the stats say.
Congrats to Zach Werenski on becoming the first Blue Jacket to ever be nominated for the Norris Trophy.
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