Zach Werenski is finally getting the kind of league-wide respect his game has long deserved.
The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman landed at No. 3 on NHL Network’s newly released “Top 20 Defensemen Right Now” list, trailing only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen round out the rest of the top five.
Werenski’s placement isn’t a surprise if you’ve been watching the last two seasons closely. He’s turned in back-to-back elite years, and last season ended with the Norris Trophy in his hands after he was voted the league’s best defenseman.
The numbers behind that season tell the story. Werenski led the Blue Jackets and finished second among all NHL defensemen with 81 points in 75 games, piling up 22 goals and 59 assists. That came one point shy of the 82 he posted in 2024-25, which means he became the ninth defenseman in NHL history to record consecutive 80-point seasons.
He also matched a Blue Jackets single-season record with 59 assists, tying Artemi Panarin’s mark from 2018-19 and matching his own total from 2024-25. His 22 goals were just one off the Blue Jackets record for a defenseman, after he set that standard with 23 goals in 2024-25.
Beyond the box score, Werenski was driving play in major minutes. He finished with a plus-9 even-strength goal differential and ranked third in the NHL with an average of 22:21 of even-strength ice time.
And then there was the international stage. Werenski helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, producing six points in six games, including one goal and five assists. His biggest contribution came in the championship game, when he delivered the primary assist on Jack Hughes’ overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over Team Canada.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Contender Push Hits A Prospect Problem Fans Cant Ignore
As the Blue Jackets try to build toward a more competitive stretch, the organizations prospect pipeline is drawing extra attention for reasons that are not entirely comfortable. Columbus has gone more than three years without signing any of its own first-round draft picks, and the most prominent young names in the system are still at least a step away from helping the NHL roster. The group headlined by Cayden Lindstrom, Jackson Smith and Oscar Hemming is spread out across college and overseas, which leaves the front office leaning on patience at a time when fans would prefer quicker answers.
For now, the nearest internal options are names like Luca Del Bel Belluz and Luca Pinelli, both of whom have at least put themselves in the conversation for a future look. Even so, their exact roles and readiness remain open questions, which is part of what makes the current picture so tricky for Columbus. The Blue Jackets want a stronger base of young talent to support the next push, but the path from prospect stockpile to useful NHL help is still uneven. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Knight Gives Blackhawks Fans A Real Reason To Believe
The next wave of elite NHL goaltenders may already be taking shape, and Jet Greaves is right in the middle of it. After a season that put him on the map in Columbus, the young Blue Jackets goalie is being discussed alongside Jesper Wallstedt and Spencer Knight as one of the names to watch heading toward the 2026-27 race for the Vezina Trophy. With several familiar faces around the league either aging out of the conversation or facing some natural regression, there is room for a fresh crop of candidates to break through.
Greaves rise matters for the Blue Jackets because it gives them more than just stability in net, it gives them a potential star to build around if his progress keeps trending in the same direction. The league has also leaned heavily on Russian goaltenders in recent Vezina races, but the opening for a new finalist is there if one of these younger goalies keeps taking steps forward. For Columbus, the appeal is obvious: if Greaves can keep growing, the conversation around the team changes fast. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Fans Will Always Connect No. 51 To One Franchise Favorite
Jersey No. 51 has had a few turns through the Columbus Blue Jackets over the years, but one name still sits above the rest in the minds of fans. Andrew Delmore, Andy Murray and Fedor Tyutin all wore it in Columbus, each leaving a different kind of imprint on the franchise as the number worked its way through the early seasons of the organization. For a sweater that has not been worn by a long list of players, it still carries a meaningful slice of team history.
Tyutin is the one who made the number feel permanent. After arriving in Columbus, he became one of the best defensemen in franchise history and spent years giving the Blue Jackets a steady presence on the back end. Even after his playing career ended, he stayed close to the organization through coaching and scouting roles, which only deepened the bond between the player and the team. [Read more 🡒]