FootyChatter.com

NHL Zach Werenski will never get tired of watching this pass. James Lang / Imagn Images COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski sat down, looked at the image in front of him and broke into a wide smile. It was one week ago Sunday that the Blue Jackets defenseman won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics in Milan. Advertisement Most of the glory has gone to Jack Hughes, and rightfully so. Hughes scored the golden goal that led to the United States’ 2-1 overtime win over Canada, the first Olympic gold for the red, white and blue since 1980. But Werenski’s role in the play cannot be overstated. It was a primary assist, but also a prime-time assist for the ages that involved a series of little plays before the dramatic finish on the sporting world’s grandest stage. Werenski sat down with The Athletic after practice on Sunday to go frame by frame and describe the play from his perspective: what he saw, the split-second reads he made and the type of tidbits that most viewers may missed. Canada’s Connor Mc David came roaring through the right circle and flipped a puck on USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped it and swatted it behind his net. Hughes gathered it, skated behind the cage and passed it to Werenski in the corner. Werenski: “As I was coming onto the ice, I was very aware of who was out there for them (Mc David, Nathan Mac Kinnon, and Cale Makar). “If you notice, I kind of hesitate (when I get the puck), because it’s Mc David, right? So if I pull it directly to my backhand, he’s going to get it. He’s so quick, that he’ll probably lift my stick. That’s a big reason why I just went to one hand. If I go to two hands … by the time I get here (puts his two hands together) he’s going to be within range to at least disrupt. So I tried to go with one hand. “I make that play a decent amount of times during the season. It’s kind of hidden within the game. Like if there’s a guy ahead of me, I’ll just push it up to him. This time, though, the puck rolled on me. If it doesn’t roll on me, I probably lead Hughes (instead of him slowing and reaching slightly back). But from my angle, I can see that Jack’s going to get it, it’s just a matter of whether he’s going to get it past (Makar). ” Advertisement If the puck weren’t rolling on Werenski, and he made the clean, crisp pass he wanted, Makar wouldn’t have been caught in the middle. But when Makar leaned forward in an attempt to pick off the pass, Hughes was able to swat the puck around him and follow it up the ice, leaving Makar in his wake. Makar never recovered. Werenski: “You almost have to go if you’re (Makar) there. I get it, it’s a 50-50. It’s tough It’s a tough play. I’d probably try to stand there, too. I mean, look who you’re poking it to (Mc David) if you get it. Jack makes a great play not just poking the puck, but getting it around (Makar). And he gets around him, too, which was huge. “I look to see where Mac Kinnon is pretty early. I know everyone is saying he should go (directly at the puck), and, looking back, with hindsight, maybe he should have. But look who’s here and here (Werenski points at Hughes and Dylan Larkin trailing the play). If I dive and whack it, it could be a 2-on-0 or a breakaway. So I understand his thought of playing the angle and getting the puck to the corner. I mean, if he gets it, it’s a 2-on-1 the other way. “It’s a tough play for him. He’s catching a lot of heat for it, but if I see he’s coming hard, I might make a desperation play and just dive for it. ” Werenski arrived at the puck just a split-second before Mac Kinnon, touched it forward with his backhand, then again to pull the puck under Mac Kinnon’s stick. Then, with Mac Kinnon’s momentum carrying him away from the puck, Werenski shoved him forward, away from the play, and was able to turn and survey the ice. Werenski: “(Mac Kinnon) tried to finish me, which I was kind of ready for. I was trying to get the puck out of his reach and, honestly, at first, just get it to the middle. He gets unlucky — and we get lucky — when the puck hits off his skate. Advertisement “I was trying to get it back to Larkin, but it hit (Mac Kinnon’s) skate and came back to me. I was ready for it. It just kind of sat there, right at my feet. And right here is where I see Jack. I see Jack just as I’m turning. ” Werenski realized that Larkin was close behind him and Mc David was fast approaching on the backcheck, but Werenski decided quickly to zip it across the zone to Hughes, who was wide open with Makar still way behind the play. Once again, Mc David’s speed nearly disrupted the play, but the puck passed right in front of him on a line to Hughes. With a clear path to the goal, Hughes fired from low in the left circle. Werenski: “I see (Hughes) as I’m turning, and I just throw it over there. I think it threw (Mc David) off by how quickly I got rid of the puck. “It was meant to be, I guess. I feel like everyone (in the Olympics) could handle that pass, but in that moment … it’s one of those plays where it’s just kind of … yeah. It’s a great play by Jack. I knew where I was going with it the second I saw him, no hesitation. “I’m not sure (if he got everything on the shot). It’s a good question. He doesn’t shoot very hard to begin with. (laughs) I mean, he’ll tell you that. He’s an unbelievable player, one of the best in the world. He picks his corners and all that stuff, but he doesn’t have a missile of a shot. “Hearing him talk, he tried going against the grain. I don’t know if he tried to go five-hole or low glove or something. He’s probably going to die on the hill that he meant to do exactly what he did, right? I don’t know if we’ll ever truly know the answer. “I’ve watched it a bunch of times. It’ll never get old. It’s awesome. ” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness brought it up on his own after Thursday’s loss in Boston. With little prompting, he went in on the subject again after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Advertisement In doing so, he joined former Blue Jackets coaches Dean Evason, Pascal Vincent, Brad Larsen, John Tortorella, Todd Richards, Scott Arniel, Ken Hitchcock … you get the point. The Blue Jackets have long wondered why they seem to be on the short end of the whistle year after year, during good seasons and bad, under mild-tempered and ill-tempered coaches, etc. The numbers, frankly, are staggering. Bowness went in on the topic, and so did Werenski after Saturday’s game, in which the Blue Jackets — in a fast-paced, physical game — had zero power plays. They have a grand total of two power plays in their last three games. “I can’t explain it, ” Bowness said after Saturday’s game. “Honestly, I can’t. I’m seeing things that, OK, I think are penalties and the referees obviously don’t. But that’s two games now, and we’ve had one power play. I can’t explain that. ” On the season, the Blue Jackets are averaging 2. 38 power-play opportunities per season, 31st in the NHL. Werenski fumed after Saturday’s loss, too. The Blue Jackets wanted goaltender interference on the Islanders’ second goal — their challenge was denied — and they thought captain Boone Jenner was tripped by New York’s Adam Pelech during the second period. Instead, it marked the second time this season, and the 30th time in franchise history (1, 954 games) they’ve played a game without a man advantage. “If you go back to the Chicago game before the break, we had one as well, ” Werenski said. “So our last three games, we have two power plays. “It’s not like we’re being dominated. We have the puck. We’re making plays. If anything, it’s an even game or we’re taking it to teams. We have two power plays to show for in three hockey games. I think that’s unacceptable. ” Since Werenski put his name on it, we decided to look at the numbers during the entirety of his career, which began with the 2016-17 season. Again, staggering. Advertisement The Colorado Avalanche have had nearly 600 more power play (2, 776) in that span than the Blue Jackets (2, 192). The Avs and Florida Panthers (2, 723) have had more than 500 more man-advantages than Columbus, while three other clubs — Tampa Bay (2, 683), Ottawa (2, 643) and Nashville (2, 610) — have at least 400 more attempts than Columbus. There are 14 clubs, almost half the NHL, that have 300 or more power plays than the Blue Jackets since the start of the 2016-17 season. The club just above the Blue Jackets, the Islanders, has had 104 more power plays. It makes sense that the Avs, especially in recent seasons, would draw more power plays than the Blue Jackets. Colorado, with dominating stars such as Mac Kinnon and Makar, are an incredibly difficult team to defend within the NHL rulebook. But … 600? • It might be too early to call any game a “must-win. ” Pace yourself, people. The Blue Jackets have 25 games to go. But Monday’s game against the New York Rangers falls under the “probably oughta win” header. The Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference, just 7-15-5 in Madison Square Garden, and 3-11-2 in their last 16 games. One other good note for Columbus: former Blue Jackets winger Artemi Panarin, who had 11-13-24 and a plus-7 rating in 19 games vs. Columbus since joining New York, was traded to Los Angeles just before the Olympic break. • The NHL trade deadline is Friday, so Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has three more games to make the call. After playing the Rangers on Monday, the Blue Jackets fly home to host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Florida Panthers arrive on Thursday. It’s been said all along that Waddell wants to keep this group together, even being willing to carry unrestricted free agents Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment beyond the deadline without contracts in place. But if the Blue Jackets continue to falter in these next three games, Friday could be a tough day for Blue Jackets fans. At last check, Waddell has not extended contract offers to any of his four UFAs, including defenseman Erik Gudbranson. • It would be an emotional boost — to the dressing room, but also among the fan base — if former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno returned to Columbus via a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Foligno, 38, is in the final year of his contract with the Chicago, and he hasn’t decided yet if this season, his 19th in the NHL, will be his last. Foligno has always dreamed of playing with his brother, Marcus, but the Minnesota Wild’s salary-cap constraints (Foligno’s cap hit is $4. 5 million) might make it hard for the Wild to make it work. He’d also like to take a run at the Stanley Cup, which is missing from his resume. But Foligno, who plans to retire with his family in Columbus, should be seen as a possible target for the Blue Jackets if these next three games go well. Waddell is a big believer that a team can’t have enough respected veterans, especially during a stretch drive. Advertisement • Kent Johnson was a healthy scratch in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders, and it appeared in Sunday’s practice that nothing will change on Monday against the Rangers. “(Sean) Monahan’s line needs a little bit more offense, ” Bowness said before Saturday’s game. “I had a good meeting with K. J. He has to understand … listen, I know he scored those goals (24). I was looking at them (via video on Friday) and I said (to Johnson), ‘In fairness, in the 12 games I’ve been here, I haven’t seen that. I need to see that. ’ I showed him a couple of other things he has to improve on. You know what, he’s a big part of the future of this team. ” After putting up 24-33-57 in 68 games last season, Johnson has just 6-12-18 in 56 games. • Kirill Marchenko’s goal in Thursday’s 4-2 loss in Boston was his 20th of the season. He’s the first player in Blue Jackets history to start his career with four consecutive 20-goal seasons, and he’s one of only four players overall to have at least four 20-goal seasons. Rick Nash had eight, Cam Atkinson had six and R. J. Umberger had four. Marchenko, with 268 games played, has scored 95 goals, making it likely that later this season he’ll become the franchise’s ninth player to score 100 goals. At his current pace, only Rick Nash, who scored his 100th goal in his 237th game, has hit the century mark in few games. • This week’s Blue Jackets trivia question: Werenski’s two assists on Saturday extended his points streak to nine games, the longest by a defenseman in franchise history and the sixth-longest overall. Who has the longest point streak in franchise history? • One name to keep in mind at the trade deadline is Blue Jackets’ second-round pick Luca Del Bel Belluz (No. 44 in 2022), who leads AHL Cleveland in goals (15) and points (43) and who appears parked behind the Blue Jackets’ strong center depth chart. NHL scouts think Del Bel Belluz has middle-six talent if he can improve his skating. He has never looked out of place in 29 games (3-7-10, plus-1) with Columbus over the past three seasons, including 13 games this season. The Blue Jackets wouldn’t move Del Bel Belluz just to move him, though. They like the player. But he could be used as a sweetener in a larger deal, if Waddell ends up buying at the deadline. • Four of the top 15 local TV market ratings for the United States vs. Canada gold-medal game were Ohio cities. Cleveland, which was tied for seventh, had a 10. 6 rating, meaning 10. 6 percent of households with TV in the Cleveland market were tuned to to the game, according to NBC. The other Ohio cities: ninth Dayton (10. 4), 12th Columbus (9. 8), and 15th Cincinnati (9. 3). • Trivia answer: Ryan Johansen had a 13-game point streak from Dec. 18, 2014, to Jan. 17, 2015, totaling 8-8-16 in that span. • There’s more than the NHL trade deadline happening on March 6. The Winter Paralympics hold their opening ceremony on that day in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Former Blue Jackets equipment boss Jamie Healy, who was let go by the club after last season, is working the hockey games for Team USA. Healy is no stranger to international competition. He’s worked four IIHF World Championships for the USA as far back as 2014. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Aaron Portzline is a senior writer for The Athletic NHL based in Columbus, Ohio. He has been a sportswriter for more than 30 years, winning national and state awards as a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. In addition, Aaron has been a frequent contributor to the NHL Network and The Hockey News, among other outlets. Follow Aaron on Twitter @Aportzline