The Blue Jackets lost again on Thursday night. They did so, again, despite playing extremely well for 40 minutes.
But, again, they collapsed in the third period; surrendering three goals to the Minnesota Wild in a 5-2 loss. We (the fans) have been frustrated by this team's carefree attitude after these games all season.
Last night, however, we got something refreshing. Pure, unfiltered honesty from Zach Werenski. It left a lot of people concerned, and with good reason:
#CBJ D Zach Werenski cut to the core of the matter after the loss to Minnesota: "I feel like it's the same thing we've been saying. We're playing well enough to win, but it's getting old that we keep losing. Enough is enough. It's unacceptable, and I get the whole thing where you…
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) December 19, 2025
There is a lot to take in here. We mentioned on Tuesday night that you could see on his face how tired he was of losing hockey games. He's been trying to will this team into victory every night, and without much help offensively.
Last night, his comments reflected exactly that. He's been playing on another level for the last several weeks, while this team continues to go through the motions and flounder late in hockey games. As he put, maybe they aren't a good hockey team. That's not on him.
How good has he been?
In their four game homestand over the last week, the Blue Jackets scored 11 goals. Zach Werenski factored in on 8 of them. He scored four of them. Reminder: he's a defenseman.
Last night, he scored both CBJ goals while playing 28:30. Imagine how frustrating it must be for this guy to be scoring at a top-20 pace league-wide (not just amongst defensemen), while the team around you cannot generate anything offensively.
He has 13 goals and 38 points in 34 games on the season. He leads this team in scoring by 12 points.
So it should come as no surprise that he spoke his mind after they lost another game, while he generated all of the offense.
Management should be paying attention.
Time to make a change is running out. I don't necessarily think that Zach's comments last night were his way of asking for a trade. He's been playing too hard to say that he's quit on this team.
In fact, I think this would be the time to put the "C" on his jersey. His play has carried this team, and it's refreshing to hear someone demand more out of everyone around him. Related thought: where has Boone Jenner been in these interviews?
And, I do think that this was his way of calling out the entire organization. From its ownership, through its management, coaching staff, and all the way down to the players on the ice.
He's demanding that this team takes a step forward. He's in the prime of his career, and last night saw a player of his caliber continue to win with his new team, despite a rash of injuries. He has to be wondering if he can do the same thing at some point.
How long will it be until this does turn into him wanting out of this bottom feeding organization? The Blue Jackets need to get themselves righted soon, or they will be thrown back into a rebuild as another talented superstar leaves Columbus.
If that happens, I'm not sure this fanbase will stick around to see it through. Personally, I'm not sure I can stomach another 3-5 years of misery and hoping for a lottery win.
Hopefully, management is paying attention.