Werenski dealing with growing pains as Jackets' main 'rover'

PHILADELPHIA - Each time it happens, Zach Werenski instantly feels bad.
The Blue Jackets' second-year defenseman, dubbed a "rover" this season by coach John Tortorella, will get caught pinching low in the offensive zone. The play heads back the other direction, developing into an odd-man rush, and his defense partner, Seth Jones, is forced to face it alone.
Werenski, who's developed a tight bond with Jones on and off the ice, has come to loathe those situations.
"The worst is when I get back to the bench and I look at 'Jonesy,' and say, 'Sorry for giving up that 2-on-1,' or something like that, or giving up a scoring chance," Werenski said Tuesday, after helping the Blue Jackets end a three-game winless slide with an assist on the game's first goal. "[Tortorella] wants me to be really aggressive, and I love that, but still … I don't want to be the guy that's always saying, 'Sorry,' to 'Jonesy' for giving up 2-on-1s. There's kind of a learning process that comes with being a 'rover.' It's not just free reign to go."

Earlier this season, when the Blue Jackets were at the top of the Metropolitan Division, it was pretty close to Werenski having a full-go green light. There was a ton of hockey left, the Blue Jackets were healthy and Tortorella's "Safe Is Death" mantra was in full bloom.
That's when he used the "rover" description to define Werenski, and Jones to a somewhat lesser extent. Tortorella said he wanted Werenski to think offense first, acting on occasion as a fourth forward on the ice.
Then, a slew of injuries hit in late December and January, including one that still nags Werenski now. Things changed in January, when the "Safe Is Death" sign was taken down inside the Blue Jackets' locker room and a decision was made to pull back a little on the reigns.
Rather than being full-go offense, Werenski and Jones needed to start making some split-second decisions about when to join the offensive attack. The Jackets are healthier up front now, so Tortorella would like his top defensemen to push an up-tempo pace again.
It's just that, well, things are a little different now.
Columbus is in a heated battle with three or four teams for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there are only 22 games left to decide which ones get into the postseason. Every point is crucial, and that inherent pressure is felt by players.

"There's a lot of gray areas [with being a 'rover'], in terms of when to jump, when to go, when to pull back, how far to go or when you just have to play defense," Werenski said. "We've been talking about it, of late. I'm trying to get back to it, but it's such a tight playoff race that I don't want to give up anything defensively."
It's a tricky balancing act, for Werenski and all of the Blue Jackets' puck-moving defensemen.
On the one hand, Columbus is playing its best when the back end is indistinguishable from the forwards within the offensive zone. One the other hand, should even one of those forwards forget to cover for a pinching defenseman, the results could be ugly.
That debate is being hashed out in Werenski's mind right now.
"That's when we're at our best, is when we are taking chances and being aggressive, and just playing that aggressive style," said Werenski, whose 11 goals are one away from tying the franchise record for a defenseman in a single season. "But it's a playoff race right now, and no one wants to be the guy that's at fault for giving up chances."
Prior to the game against the Devils on Tuesday, Tortorella again reiterated that he wants Werenski thinking predominantly offense. He gave a specific example, too, from the Blue Jackets' 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday at Nationwide Arena.
Werenski got the puck off a turnover just inside the Blue Jackets' blue line, and his next decision immediately caught Tortorella's attention. Werenski skated the puck back behind the Columbus net, regrouping for a breakout play, rather than just turning up the ice and skating hard toward the Penguins' end of the rink.
"In that split second, he goes back behind his net," Tortorella said. "[He] makes that decision, all five of their guys are inside the red line and they have that [neutral zone] clogged. His instinct is usually to turn it up and go. Bring someone to you, make a play, jump by him and let's get going. That's where 'Z's got to get back to."
Having more success doing it is the key.
Werenski's assist in New Jersey came off his wrist shot from the low slot, after he sent the puck off the right post. It landed in the crease, where Boone Jenner poked it home for a 1-0 lead just 5:19 into the game. Werenski had another shot in that period, as well, taken from nearly the same spot on the ice - a spot that forwards, not defensemen, usually frequent.
"I think if we're on the attack and we're being aggressive, and making plays, we're going to get some confidence that way and we're going to score more goals than we give up chances," Werenski said. "So, I think we have to get back to that. Our coaches are hounding on us to do that, so I think as this playoff race keeps moving forward, we're going to get some more confidence to do that."