"Before each game, there's like a sheet, like a game preview, in the locker rooms, in the coaches' rooms," he said. "Whenever we do the power play meeting, I always see them in there, so I was just scrolling through it, in Arizona actually. I saw I was close to it. I got two points there, so I knew it was even closer.
"It's funny how that works out. I just stumbled upon it one day right before my 200th point."
While it is a cool accomplishment, Werenski admitted, it's not exactly something he had his sights set on.
"I didn't really think about it too much," he said. "To me, 200 is not a huge deal. Obviously I'm very fortunate to have 200 points in the NHL. I'm not saying that's not a cool accomplishment by any means, but I want more. I don't think I'm gonna stop at 200, and I have a long time here. Hopefully I'll add a lot more points to that and a lot more wins to our team's success and get us to the playoffs. That's the main goal."
But one thing that is cool is something that Werenski alluded to there. Having signed a six-year contract extension that kicks in this upcoming summer to stay in Columbus, he has a chance to have a truly special career in union blue.
Werenski is now up to 204 career points, ninth all-time in a Blue Jackets sweater. He already leads the CBJ record book for goals among defensemen with 70, and he's just 19 points behind former defensive partner Seth Jones for the most points among union blue blueliners.
If Werenski stays healthy and stays productive -- let's hope on the former, as the latter seems to be a near given -- he could find himself pretty high on the Jackets' points charts when all is said and done. And there's no resting on his laurels, either, as Werenski has nine points in the last eight games and is currently tied for ninth among all NHL defenseman with 15 points and tied for fifth with five goals.
"I've always said I pride myself more on the offensive side of things," he said when asked about his recent hot streak. "I think the defenisve side has gotten a lot better for me, and I've taken more of a focus on that, but you still don't want to lose your offense with that. Whenever you can get on the board and help a team score goals, it definitely helps. It's not the end all, be all, but it does feel good to help the team in that way."
And while 200 points isn't necessarily something Werenski has circled since his NHL career began, he does have a goal in mind he'd like to reach.
"I think games played is a cool one," said Werenski, who currently has suited up in 354 NHL games. "Whenever someone gets to 1,000 games, it's pretty impressive. You know how much there is to it and how hard it is. I think when guys get to the 1,000-game mark, it's pretty impressive.
"I don't really have a goal in mind with points or goals or anything, but I think guys that can stay healthy and play a lot of games, that's a cool milestone."
