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Loading…Zach Werenski, a 29-year-old left-shot defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, grades as a clear top-quartile defenseman with a 83.3 overall (33rd of 327). That makes him the 2nd-highest-rated player on the Columbus Blue Jackets roster.
The standout tool is offensive creation (96), backed by play driving (90); penalty killing (29) is the part of his game that grades lowest.
Over 10 rated seasons since 2016-17 he has averaged 91, peaking at 99.3 in 2024-25; last season's 98.6 was right in line with the year before.
At $9.58M through 2027-28 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $11.9M, so the Columbus Blue Jackets save roughly $2.28M a season against his production.
His cap hit is the 2nd-largest on the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL roster and uses 9.2% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $3.67M in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 96 |
| Defense | 47 |
| Play driving | 90 |
| Finishing | 48 |
| Power play | 81 |
| Penalty kill | 29 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CBJ | 75 | 98.6 | 1.2 |
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 81 | 99.3 | 1.1 |
| 2023-24 | CBJ | 70 | 78.4 | 0.2 |
| 2022-23 | CBJ | 13 | 94 | 0.8 |
| 2021-22 | CBJ | 68 | 81 | 0.1 |
| 2020-21 | CBJ | 35 | 89.6 | 0.1 |
| 2019-20 | CBJ | 63 | 91 | 0.5 |
| 2018-19 | CBJ | 82 | 83.8 | 0.1 |
| 2017-18 | CBJ | 77 | 95 | 0.5 |
| 2016-17 | CBJ | 78 | 98.9 | 0.6 |
Other CBJ defensemen by rating: Denton Mateychuk (79.8), Emil Andrae (75.2), Damon Severson (74.2), Ivan Provorov (54.6). See the full Columbus Blue Jackets cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.