Jenner, Marchenko and Werenski talk Blue Jackets return from NHL break
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner, forward Kirill Marchenko and defenseman Zach Werenski talk returning from injuries, 4 Nations break
Zach Werenski won the 2024-25 Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best defenseman.Werenski led the league in ice time, averaging 26:45 per game.He set career highs in goals (23), assists (59), and points (82).
The best season of Zach Werenski’s career now includes a second-place finish in the voting for the 2024-25 Norris Trophy given to the NHL’s top defenseman.Â
After a vote by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Blue Jackets star finished behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.
Maker received 176 first-place votes, 13 for second place and two for third. Werenski received 13 first-place votes, 132 for second, 38 for third, seven for fourth and one for fifth. Maker had 1,861 points, followed by Werenski’s 1,266 and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes’ 918. Hughes got two first-pace votes.
Werenski, the only Blue Jackets defenseman ever named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, led the team in scoring by setting career highs in goals (23), assists (59) and points (82) to average a career-best 1.01 points per game. He also led the NHL’s mid-season 4 Nations Face-Off in scoring and helped the U.S. win the men’s world championship gold medal on May 25 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Werenski also played a lot of hockey. He led the NHL in ice time with 2,166:22 and averaged 26:45 per game — 1:02 more per game than the next closest player (Makar 25:43). He also put together a 22-game home point streak that ended Feb. 25 tied as the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history with Phil Housley’s 22-game streak in 1991-92 for the Buffalo Sabres.
Off the ice, Werenski acted as the Blue Jackets’ stand-in captain for more than half of their resurgent season after captain Boone Jenner underwent shoulder surgery for an injury that occurred during a preseason practice.Â
Among his offensive exploits, Werenski netted five power-play goals while quarterbacking the top unit and scored one shorthanded goal. He also scored five winning goals and put a career-high 298 shots on net among 638 attempts.
Defensively, Werenski played regularly against the opposing team’s top line and played a top role killing penalties. He blocked a career-high 131 shots, which ranked second on the team behind defense partner Dante Fabbro’s 136, and the Blue Jackets generated 52.3% of all even-strength shot attempts with Werenski on the ice.
Makar led all NHL defensemen in goals (30), assists (62) and points (92) while posting a +28 plus/minus and logging 25:43 per game for the Avalanche.
This is a breaking news story that will include comments and further analysis to come
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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