COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: In great company
Zach Werenski accelerated through the left circle as he gathered a pass from Luca Del Bel Belluz. His wrist shot sailed into the far corner of the net, giving the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
It marked the 19th straight game in Nationwide Arena in which Werenski has registered at least a point, the longest streak in franchise history. More impressively, only three defensemen in NHL history — Bobby Orr (25 games in 1974-75 and 21 in 1970-71), Paul Coffey (23 in 1985-86) and Phil Housley (22 in 1991-92) — have had longer home point streaks.
In recent home games, he’s surpassed streaks by two other greats, Brian Leetch (18 in 1991-92) and Ray Bourque (17 in 1992-93). Put another way: Werenski’s streak is the longest in the NHL in 33 seasons.
It’s all part of what’s become the best season of Werenski’s career. Among defensemen, he’s tied for first in goals (16) with Cale Makar and first in points (54) with Quinn Hughes. There’s a growing conversation about Werenski and the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. At this rate, he’ll get votes for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.
These are not topics Werenski wishes to discuss, mostly because he wants to keep the focus on the entire Blue Jackets team, especially now that they’re in the throes of a playoff chase.
So, The Athletic reached out to other names on the list — Bourque, Coffey and Leetch — to get their thoughts on Werenski.
FIRE THE CANNON FOR ZACH WERENSKI #CBJ pic.twitter.com/g3TEbL5vgZ
— FanDuel Sports Network Columbus (@FanDuelSN_CBUS) January 26, 2025
Bourque, who won five Norris trophies, remains the highest-scoring blueliner in league history with 410 goals and 1,579 points.
“The guys you always respect the most at that position are the guys who play power play, penalty kill, they play in the last minutes of the game, and they play against the other teams’ best players,” Bourque said. “He does all that, and he does it at a high level. That says a lot.
“The true No. 1 guys … there aren’t many. They might be No. 1 on their team, but that’s different. But (Werenski) is a true No. 1.”
Leetch, the second-highest-scoring American-born defenseman, has always kept an eye on the up-and-coming crop of young U.S. players. He remembers seeing Werenski at World Junior camps when Leetch’s friend Chris Chelios was involved in coaching.
These days, he sees him in other places.
“I watch (NHL Network’s) ‘On The Fly’ all the time,” Leetch said, laughing. “And he’s on there all the time. Everyone is talking about him this season.”
Leetch, who won two Norris trophies, a Calder Trophy (best rookie) and a Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), said he always noticed Werenski’s skating, tricky wrist shot and offensive instincts. But he always had a question about his career arc.
“He kept getting stuck around 40 or 50 points,” Leetch said, “and you wondered if he’d ever get above that. Well, here it is, right? The answer is yes.
“He’s fun to watch because he’s so dominant even in his own end. And the way he skates and gets up on the play … man, that’s just really impressive. I’ve been waiting for the jump he’s making this year. The goals are awesome, and scoring goals as a defenseman is not easy.”
Coffey, who won the Norris three times, sits second behind Bourque in goals (396) and points (1,531). He’s currently an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers, who have already played the Jackets twice this season.
“I’ve always been impressed with (Werenski), and I like watching him because I like his puck-moving,” Coffey said. “I’ve noticed him, even before this year. I love guys like that who can play, who can really move the puck.
“You want to see consistency from year to year. I just hope this isn’t a one-off for him. You hope he’s battling for the Norris every year because that helps the Blue Jackets.
“He’s going to get some votes this year for the Norris, and that’s great. I hope he wins it.”
Item No. 2: Mateychuk here to stay
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell is a big believer in young players spending time in the American Hockey League before they make it to the NHL. That’s the only reason defenseman Denton Mateychuk started the season with AHL Cleveland.
Anybody who watched Blue Jackets training camp would tell you that Mateychuk, the No. 12 pick in 2022, was clearly among the club’s top six defensemen.
Mateychuk played 27 games in Cleveland and made it look easy. He had 9-16-25 and a plus-5 rating, drawing only five minor penalties despite playing about 25 minutes per night in his first pro season.
He’s looked the part in the NHL, too.
The Blue Jackets haven’t had the “get a place” conversation with Mateychuk yet, but Waddell was pretty clear when he spoke with The Athletic before Saturday’s game.
“He’s going to be here (in Columbus),” Waddell said. “We’re really happy with how Denton’s played, and we’re looking forward to keeping him for the rest of the year.”
Mateychuk, 20, has played on the left side of the second pair, with veteran Ivan Provorov switching from left to right to make room. In 13 games, Mateychuk has 1-2-3 and a minus-2 rating, but his average ice time — 18:02 — speaks to the trust he’s built with the coaching staff.
Not bad for the youngest defenseman in the NHL.
“I feel like it’s been good,” Mateychuk said. “I’m just trying to learn every day and get better. I’ve been doing the right things.
“It’s the little details. From juniors to the (AHL) and from the (AHL) to the NHL, the little details become that much more important.”
Like every young player, Mateychuk said lining up next to players you grew up watching on TV can be daunting. His second and third NHL games were against the Boston Bruins and defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who has always been one of Mateychuk’s favorites.
His seventh NHL game was against the Pittsburgh Penguins and legendary forward Sidney Crosby, a Canadian icon.
“You just look over and go, ‘Wow, it’s pretty awesome to go against these guys,’” Mateychuk said. “I’ve always believed I could do it, but going out and proving it is a good feeling.”
Item No. 3: Take 5, Steve Mears
Take 5 is a breezy, (mostly) off-the-ice sitdown with a Blue Jackets player, coach, broadcaster or front-office staffer. This week’s features television play-by-play voice Steve Mears, who joined the Blue Jackets this season after a long stint with the Penguins and, before that, NHL Network.
1. What part of Columbus is home and why?
We’re in Dublin. Absolutely love it, love Bridge Park, and love the peacefulness of the area. It’s so picturesque, and we happened to see a house that we just fell in love with. The neighbors are incredibly kind. Immediately came and introduced themselves in the driveway and brought gifts over … a bottle of Ohio bourbon and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. It felt like home right away.
2. What’s your biggest surprise with Columbus?
There’s so much to say here. When you come in as a visitor, you see the downtown, the rink, hotel and airport. You don’t really get into the real fabric of the city until you get to know the area. There are hidden gems, and finding those has been a pleasant surprise. The zoo is amazing. I had no idea Columbus had such an amazing zoo. The fans have been incredible, but that isn’t a surprise. I’ve always known that. The way I’ve been treated and welcomed by the fans has been so great. The organization, too. The way they’ve involved us broadcasters in things, and I really appreciate that. It’s been first class all the way.
3. Favorite restaurant in Columbus?
Not as many as when I’d come in as a visitor (laughs), because now we need a babysitter, right? The best we’ve found was Cento in German Village. Phenomenal. Everything, the whole experience, was wonderful. And that was my first time in German Village. We went to the Book Loft right there near the restaurant, and as an avid reader … I just got lost in there. I didn’t know if I was going to get out.
4. Favorite CBJ memory so far?
That 7-6 Tampa game (on Nov. 21) when Zach (Werenski) fittingly wins it in overtime. That jumps to mind, because how many 7-6 games do we see? The way the building responded … everybody left that night just buzzing. There have been so many memorable nights already, a bunch of comebacks … winning in Pittsburgh (on Jan. 7), that was quite enjoyable, I’ll say that. That night just this week (Wednesday) in Toronto, when you’ve got a big team win, a Fantilli hat trick, his mother throwing her hat on the ice, the Del Bel Belluz family there celebrating … when the hockey gods and the TV gods smile down on you, right?
5. Which member of this organization should have a podcast?
I would listen to a Dean Evason podcast. It’s got to be uncensored. He has a lot of interests beyond hockey. He has this reputation as this old-school hockey guy, he was a tough player, an intense coach … but he has a lot of interests. I love just his takes on hockey, obviously, but he could go all kinds of directions.
Item No. 4: Snacks
• By now you’ve probably seen Kirill Marchenko’s remarkable overtime winner in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Kings. For some longtime fans, it may have conjured images of another memorable Blue Jackets goal by Nikolai Zherdev against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 26, 2005. Down 3-2 in the closing seconds, Zherdev weaved his way the length of the ice, finally splitting three Blackhawks defenders and scoring past Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to tie the score at 3. The Jackets went on to win 4-3 in overtime on Jaroslav Balastik’s goal.
• Saturday’s OT winner was Marchenko’s 20th goal of the season, making him the first player in franchise history to begin his NHL career with three 20-goal seasons. It was also the second OT winner of Marchenko’s career. The first came on April 2, 2023, vs. Ottawa, a 4-3 win near the end of Marchenko’s rookie season.
• Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is playing his way back to the form he showed early in his career. On Saturday, he stopped 31 of 33 shots, including a huge stop on L.A.’s Adrian Kempe at 2:10 of overtime when Kempe got a clean look off a two-on-one. Merzlikins is 9-2-1 with a .906 save percentage and 2.70 goals-against average in his last 12 outings dating to Dec. 19. In that span, he’s beaten New Jersey, Boston, Carolina, Toronto and now Los Angeles, among others. With that recent run, his save percentage is up to .894, just a tick below the NHL’s leaguewide average of .895.
• It’s not only Merzlikins’ numbers that have improved. Here’s Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason on his goaltender: “What we really liked is his ability to calm things down in the zone. Elvis makes some spectacular saves. Highlight-reel saves. But the ones that are fantastic are the ones he catches when we’re stuck in our zone, when he smothers the pucks like Velcro when we need a stop. There’s not a lot of chaos after that. He’s done a good job of that, but he’s also done a good job, personally, of staying calm when things get a little hectic. We talk about leadership all the time, and you don’t talk about goalies a lot (in that way). But he’s led us in a lot of hockey games.”
• Captain Boone Jenner took part in Saturday’s morning skate, and he’s expected to join the Blue Jackets for practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, two very positive steps forward in his recovery from shoulder surgery in October. Jenner will not be back in the lineup until after the Blue Jackets return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Feb. 22, but he will gradually ramp up his participation in contract drills over the next few weeks, Waddell said.
• The Blue Jackets are hopeful center Cole Sillinger, out the past three games with a bruised hand, will be able to play at some point on the upcoming road trip. Sillinger blocked a shot during the Jan. 20 loss to the New York Islanders and his hand is badly swollen. X-rays revealed no fractures, however.
• As for the not-so-great injury news over the weekend, Waddell said Sean Monahan, now out for an extended period with a sprained wrist, spent “three or four days” last week trying to find a way to play through the injury, putting off allowing it to heal 100 percent until the offseason. After a 30-minute conversation with Waddell, the decision was made to shut him down until mid-to-late March. He is now probably on a similar timeline for return as defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who had shoulder surgery after getting injured three games into the season.
• Del Bel Belluz, who was recalled from AHL Cleveland when Monahan went down on Jan. 7, continues to impress. He had an assist and a plus-1 rating on Saturday, giving him 3-5-8 in the first 10 games of his NHL career. The only Blue Jackets player with a more productive start in their first 10 games with Columbus is Werenski, who had 2-8-10 at the start of his career in 2016-17.
• Sunday Gathering trivia: After a plus-1 rating in Saturday’s win over Los Angeles, Marchenko leads the NHL with a plus-29 rating through 50 games. Which Blue Jackets player has the single-season franchise record for the best plus-minus rating?
• A rarity during an 82-game NHL schedule: consecutive days off. Because the Blue Jackets don’t play again until Thursday in Vegas, Evason and the coaching staff have given the players both Sunday and Monday off, a good break for a club that played nine games in 15 days, culminating with the Kings game on Saturday. “It’s fantastic, just mentally,” Evason said. “Physically, obviously. The exciting thing is we get two practice days (Tuesday and Wednesday) before we go (to Vegas). Sometimes the schedule isn’t in your favor, and it hasn’t been on a few occasions. But this is one time where it is.
• Nobody had a better week than Blue Jackets prospect goaltender Nolan Lalonde. Last Monday, he was named the Ontario Hockey League’s goaltender of the week after stopping all 60 shots in back-to-back shutouts for the Soo Greyhounds. Then, on Friday against Flint, the 20-year-old scored a rare goalie goal, sailing the puck the length of the ice into an empty net with 1:21 remaining in a 5-2 win. “It still doesn’t feel real,” Lalonde told reporters after the game. “I’ve tried but never scored.” It’s the 12th goalie goal in OHL history.
• Trivia answer: Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard, who now plays for the Montreal Canadiens, had a plus-33 rating in 74 games during the 2016-17, which was tied for third in the NHL. Among forwards, the franchise record is plus-25 by winger Josh Anderson (2018-19), who now also plays for Montreal.
(Photo of Zach Werenski: Kirk Irwin / NHLI via Getty Images)
