Blue Jackets getting huge Zach Werenski boost vs. Sabres

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been without their best player in Zach Werenski for the last four games, but that will change as they look to halt the Buffalo Sabres’ league-best 10-game winning streak on Saturday afternoon at Nationwide Arena.

Werenski was activated off injured reserve and will return to the lineup for the cross-division tilt, general manager Don Waddell announced.

The superstar blue liner sustained a lower-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks on December 20 and hasn’t played since. Despite his absence, he leads the Jackets with 40 points, and is seeing an average of 26:48 of ice time per game over 35 contests — that’s second in the NHL.

The 28-year-old will look to help Columbus get out of the basement of the Eastern Conference throughout January and beyond; the Blue Jackets are currently 17-16-6 and coming off a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on New Year’s Eve.

Werenski will immediately slot back in on the top pairing, while joining a top powerplay unit that features forwards Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli and recent trade acquisition Mason Marchment.

A two-time NHL All-Star, 2025 First All-Star Team selection and former Norris Trophy runner up, Werenski has amassed 127 goals and 424 points over 602 career National Hockey League games.

He was selected to Team USA’s Olympic roster for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, which is no surprise. He should be in the top-four and play a key role for the country come February.

Zach Werenski eyeing a gold medal with Team USA

“I feel like USA Hockey is probably the best it’s ever been right now,” Werenski said shortly after the roster announcement, per NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. “There’s so many good players in the world that are American, and you’re coming up on Canada territory where you could probably field two teams and go over there and have a chance to medal. I think it speaks volumes to how far USA Hockey has come.

“Obviously, we want to be the team that brings back the gold, but we’re going to have our hands full.”

Werenski joins a formidable defensive unit for the United States which also boasts Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy and Jake Sanderson, among others.

The Olympics are sure to be electric with NHL players participating for the first time in over a decade, but Werenski will first be focused on helping the Blue Jackets make up some ground in the standings.

Knocking off a Sabres team that hasn’t lost since December 8 would be a good start. Puck is set to drop between Buffalo and Columbus just past 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.