TRAINING CAMP UPDATE: Werenski hoping to be cleared for contact soon

It's no longer hanging in his locker stall as a constant reminder of the frustration Zach Werenski endured last season.
The constricting shoulder harness Werenski wore for all but 12 games in 2017-18, black with an adjustable strap, is now kept in a different part of the Blue Jackets' locker room. It's out of sight now, but still in the back of Werenski's mind.
"It sat in my stall this whole offseason and every time I'd come to the rink I saw it," said Werenski, who's nearly five months out from surgery May 3 to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder. "It kind of gave me motivation to not put it back on again. I haven't seen it since training camp started. I don't know where it is. I'm sure they probably threw it out or something and I hope I never see it again."

VISIT BLUE JACKETS TRAINING CAMP CENTRAL 2018
Well, here's a bit of bad news for Werenski: they haven't throw it out.
It's still in there somewhere, likely residing in the training room somewhere, but Werenski has mentally lit the thing on fire and roasted marshmallows over it. Playing 77 regular-season games with that thing constraining his left arm, plus six more during an emotional playoff series, will do that to a person.
It tends to leave a mark, both mental and likely physical. The good news for Werenski, and the Blue Jackets, is that he's getting close to the end of his recovery. He'll meet with a doctor Thursday, see about getting cleared for some kind of contact and then assess things daily in a quest to return as soon as possible.
"We really only have one full week left of preseason [on Monday], so I'm hoping to get back with the team closer to next week at some point," said Werenski, who's been participating in conditioning work without contact during the first week of training camp. "I don't know when full contact will be [given] or when the preseason [clearance to play] will be, but I'm hoping to get one or two games in. That's the goal, and even then, that's pretty good recovery time. There's been no hiccups in my recovery, which is nice."
The goal, in Werenski's mind, is to play Oct. 4 in Detroit. That's when the Blue Jackets will get the 2018-19 season started with a game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar's Arena - minutes from Werenski's hometown of Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Playing the Red Wings, the team he cheered for growing up, is always a special occasion - but it's especially fun on the road, playing in front of family and friends. This time, if he's cleared to go for the season-opener, it will be even sweeter.
That shoulder harness is a big reason why.
"I was talking to [coach John Tortorella] and it's been a long summer for me - and a frustrating last season, dealing with this," said Werenski, who still scored 16 goals and tied defense partner Seth Jones for the franchise record in single-season goals by a defenseman. "My whole summer's [been] a little bit different with rehab and staying here, not being able to do a lot. This close to the season, and the season-opener [being] in Detroit, my hometown, that's kind of been a goal of mine to play in - so that's kind of that light at the end of the tunnel. I feel pretty good that I'll be there for that."
Ultimately, that will be determined by a group decision that includes input from the team's medical staff, coaches and management. Werenski is encouraged, though, by how he's felt since getting back on the ice during the latter stages of summer.
He's moving around fluidly on the ice. He's back to ripping slap shots and one-timers and he's gaining more confidence in his repaired shoulder every time he steps on the ice.
"It's for sure healed right now," Werenski said. "It's just a matter of me being strong enough to protect myself in battles and hits. It's a physical game and from the start of the season we kind of play that way. Teams are pretty physical in this league, so I have to be strong enough and be prepared to take those hits."
Assessing when, exactly, he's ready to absorb the punishment is the trick. The Blue Jackets don't want to risk a setback, or worse, by bringing him back too soon - and Werenski doesn't want that either. Still, he also knows there are benefits to playing a preseason game.
"I think if it was up to the doctors, they probably wouldn't want me to play in the preseason," Werenski said. "We still have to talk about that, but I definitely want to get in one game, maybe two, to get my feet under me, the timing of plays and just kind of seeing the game. You can practice all you want but there's nothing like a real game and getting that conditioning level back."
There's also nothing like daydreaming about playing again without that shoulder harness. Following surgery, a timeframe of five-to-six months was estimated for Werenski to fully recover - and the season-opener in Detroit will be five months and one day post-op.
"My shoulder's felt really good," Werenski said. "Obviously, there's some tightness in it and some things I'll probably never get back, in terms of range, but in terms of strength right now, I feel pretty good. I'm getting pretty strong again, and on the ice I feel awesome. It's just a matter of contact now."