Werenski played more minutes, finished tied with Jones for a franchise record in goals by a defenseman in a single season and made his first appearance in the NHL All-Star Game - filling in for Jones, who couldn't play because he was sick. He also played most of the season with a shoulder injury that occurred against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 30 at Nationwide Arena, forced him to wear a restrictive shoulder harness and required offseason surgery.
Werenski is looking forward to being full strength again, but what he did last season deserves a closer glance. Here's a look back at it, by the numbers:
77
Werenski came out of the gate quickly with six points in the first eight games. It looked like he could be on his way to another record-setting year, with a plus-2 rating at that point, but the shoulder injury against the Bruins added an unforeseen twist just 12 games into the regular season.
Werenski didn't miss any action because of the injury until he sat out four straight games prior to Christmas break. He wound up playing 77 games and all six in the Jackets' first-round series against Washington Capitals in the playoffs.
16
Werenski had 11 goals as a rookie, which was one away from tying the Blue Jackets' previous franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a single season. Despite the injury, he built on that total by continuing to put the puck in the net. He and Jones each had 16 goals to set a new franchise record for goals by a defenseman - breaking the prior record of 12 held by Jones (2016-17) and Bryan Berard (2005-06).
The Jackets' top pairing heated up around the NHL Trade Deadline of Feb. 26, when veteran defenseman Ian Cole was acquired and paired with David Savard to form a shut-down defensive pairing. That duo freed up Werenski and Jones offensively.
58
Werenski entered 2017-18 nine pounds lighter but was noticeably more athletic. He'd always been a good skater, but his physicality picked up in his second NHL season. Despite the shoulder injury, Werenski was credited with 58 even-strength hits, which was a 41.5 percent increase from his rookie season.
21
As the year went along, the Blue Jackets' top power-play unit featured Jones at the point with four forwards occupying the other roles - including Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson getting the bulk of scoring chances on the wings. Werenski played the point on the second unit, which contributed to a drop in his assists from 36 to 21.
22:35
Playing through pain and limited shoulder mobility, Werenski absorbed more responsibility and ice time, helping secure the blue line for the Jackets. With an average of 22 minutes, 35 seconds on the ice each game, he logged nearly two minutes more per game than his rookie year (20:55).
3
Three of Werenski's 16 goals were game-winners - two more than he netted as a rookie. Two of his game-winning goals were scored in consecutive games in November: Nov. 14 against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre and Nov. 17 against the New York Rangers at Nationwide Arena. His third game-winner was scored at home Mar. 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights, when he gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead at 8:01 of the second period in a 4-1 victory. It was their second win in a season-high 10-game winning streak.
