Werenski, Marchenko, Fantilli among those to lead the way with performances fans won't soon forget
If you’re the Blue Jackets public relations department, get ready for a busy offseason.
The team’s media guide is going to take a little longer to update this summer.
A memorable season saw the team improve from consecutive last-place finishes to the cusp of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and along with it came some historic performances from a number of CBJ players as well as the team itself.
Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Mathieu Olivier and others had fantastic campaigns that put them among the top players in team history, while the Blue Jackets as a unit accomplished some feats that will go down in the team record books as well.
While the Blue Jackets’ 89 points (40-33-9 record) finished just two points short of a postseason appearance, it was a season we’ll long remember for a lot of reasons. Here’s a look at some of the performances that most stood out.
From day one of the season all the way through game 82, if there was one player who best exemplified what the Blue Jackets were all about, it was Werenski.
The defenseman’s numbers and accolades are almost too numerous to list, as he broke his own franchise records for goals (22), assists (59) and points (81) among defensemen. He placed second in the NHL among blueliners in all three categories, led the NHL in average ice time (a CBJ-record mark of 26:45) and distance skated (320.25 miles), and was third in the league with 298 shots on goal. In addition, Werenski became just the ninth NHL defenseman since 1997 to finish a season with at least 80 points.
His 22 multipoint games finished third in team history and first among defensemen, behind only Artemi Panarin (25, 2018-19) and Rick Nash (2008-09), led by a team record-tying five-point game Nov. 21 vs. Tampa Bay. When it was all said and done, he also placed among team franchise leaders in points and assists in a single season.
A contender for the Norris and Hart Trophies, Werenski was also the team’s Community MVP and its nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.
No matter how you break it down, Werenski posted one of the most impressive campaigns in team history.
Coming into the season, just seven different players had reached the 30-goal mark during a campaign for the Blue Jackets.
You can now add two more names to the list in Marchenko and Fantilli, who posted matching totals of 31 goals on the season for the Blue Jackets. Marchenko was a consistent scorer all season, scoring at least five goals in three months and four two other times, while Fantilli came on at the end to join the list. The second-youngest 30-goal scorer in CBJ history and the NHL’s youngest this season, Fantilli scored six times in the last four games and nine times in 10 April games to make it to the 30-goal mark.
Marchenko and Fantilli became just the second pair of CBJ teammates to get to 30 goals in a season, joining Foligno and Jenner in 2014-15. Marchenko’s 74 points also tied Johnny Gaudreau’s mark from 2022-23 for the sixth-most in team history, and he’s just the second CBJ player to have a season in which he posted 30-plus goals and 40-plus assists (Foligno, 2014-15).
We can also say hats off to the only two players on the season to post hat tricks as well. Fantilli had two to tie the franchise record, while Marchenko had a three-goal game for the third year in a row.
Those three players were far from the only Blue Jackets to have standout campaigns. The team’s five 20-goal scorers (Marchenko, Fantilli, Werenski, Kent Johnson with 24 and Dmitri Voronkov with 23) tied a team record with the 2018-19 campaign, as did its mark of five 50-plus point scorers (Werenski, Marchenko, Johnson with 57, Sean Monahan with 57 and Fantilli with 54) also tied for its most with 2009-10 and 2016-17.
As a result, the Blue Jackets kept the goal cannon firing all season long. When it was all added up, the team’s 267 goals set a new franchise record.
Included were 161 goals at home, a team record and the most in the NHL, nudging one past Tampa Bay’s total of 160. In addition, the Blue Jackets’ 202 goals at 5-on-5 finished first in the NHL, 12 clear of second-place Washington.
Earlier we said the PR department will have a busy offseason on its hands; the cannon operators will also have to find a new supply of charges and cannonballs for the 2025-26 season as well.
There are a number of other marks that will keep it a busy offseason for record keepers. Here’s a list of some other notable team and player accomplishments this season.
