Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena marks a milestone for one of the franchise’s best players. This makes him only the fourth player to reach this milestone for the Blue Jackets, following Boone Jenner, Rick Nash and Cam Atkinson.
Zach Werenski will skate in his 600th NHL game when the Blue Jackets host the Anaheim Ducks. As he crosses this milestone, he is playing the best hockey of his NHL career.
As much as milestones like these are worth celebrating for the Blue Jackets, Werenski has more important things on his mind. His team is simply looking for a win to break a five-game losing streak, including the last four in the regular season.
This perfectly describes Werenski’s mentality. He was never about individual accolades as a player, whatever the occasion. His focus is on helping the Blue Jackets win games and ultimately reach the playoffs with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
That certainly won’t change here for his 600th game. His milestone game will be unforgettable if they win.
The rise of Werensky
We will have the honor of talking about the impact Werenski has had on the Blue Jackets. He has been everything and then some on and off the ice.
The Blue Jackets selected Werenski eighth overall in 2015. After spending the next season at Michigan, he came to the Lake Erie Monsters and helped them win the Calder Cup in 2016.
He then impressed the NHL in his rookie season in 2016-17, scoring 11 goals and 47 points while helping the Blue Jackets return to the postseason. This was the season where John Tortorella led them to 108 points and an unfortunate exit from the playoffs in the first round.
Werenski has done nothing but improve throughout his career, although there were some injuries in the middle that forced him to miss a lot of time.
His next goal this season will be his tenth. That would mark his eighth career double-digit goal scoring season.
In his first 599 gamesWerenski has collected 122 goals and 417 points. He is on a 10-game home streak and remains one of the best defensemen in the NHL. He finished second in the 2024-2025 Norris Trophy voting.
What really stood out about Werenski’s Blue Jackets career was a specific decision he made amid many changes within the team.
When other players left, Werenski made a long-term commitment and stayed with the Blue Jackets. He showed that Columbus is a desirable place to play. His involvement in the community also deserves much recognition.
Werenski is already considered one of the best defensemen to play for the Blue Jackets. Every new achievement from here will only reinforce that. But there remains one thing he now desires more than anything else.
Werenski wants to win. He wants to win in Columbus. He said that before training camp, when he admitted that his time at the Men’s World Cup, helping Team USA to a gold medal, made him realize how much he missed winning. The Blue Jackets have not participated in the postseason since the Covid bubble.
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The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday’s game in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-13-6. That’s why this milestone is far down Werensky’s priority list. They need to focus on getting back into the play-off race as we approach the Christmas holidays.
Make no mistake. What Werenski has done in his first 600 games with the Blue Jackets is commendable, especially his play since the start of last season. Maybe one day he’ll sit back and reflect on all the good he’s done both on and off the ice.
However, Tuesday night is not that night. Milestones take a back seat to team and performance.
This is who Werenski has always been; A team player who sets a good example. 600 games is a great achievement. But he has more important things to think about right now.
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