In Another Year, Columbus Blue Jackets Rookie Zach Werenski Would Have Won the Calder Trophy, but Auston Matthews Was Simply Too Good

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski did not win the Calder Trophy tonight in Las Vegas, as it was his good buddy Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs taking honors as the NHL's best rookie.

Werenski finished third in Calder voting behind Matthews and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine, and additionally, he received four votes for the Norris Trophy. The Blue Jackets' first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in 2015, Werenski spent the end of 2015-16 with the Cleveland Monsters on their championship run before making the NHL club out of training camp this past fall.

Perhaps the loss (if you can call it that) didn't exactly come as a surprise, but Werenski seemed to enjoy himself in Las Vegas.

Werenski joked at season's end that he would help #Leafs Auston Matthews write his Calder acceptance speech. Joked about it again today.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 21, 2017

But even though it wasn't a surprise, it's worth noting: in any other year, the record-breaking defenseman would have likely won the Calder. As a 19-year-old on one of the NHL's best teams in 2016-17, Werenski scored 11 goals and totaled 47 points while playing a significant role at 20:55 per night. His plus/minus rating of +17 tied for 17th in the league among defensemen.  

From the outset of the season (and his NHL career), Werenski was thrust into the quarterback role on the Blue Jackets' white-hot power play unit. Coach John Tortorella was cautiously optimistic about how much Werenski could handle right away, but his minutes continued to climb and the team continued to get better.

Werenski, the NHL's Rookie of the Month in November, is now squarely among the top offensive defensemen in the league. For evidence, look no further than an impressive .60 points per game average, which tied him for 14th in the NHL among defensemen with St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, and just behind P.K. Subban (.61) of the Nashville Predators.

Only five defensemen finished at or over .70 points per game this season, and they are (in order): Brent Burns (.93), Erik Karlsson (.92), Victor Hedman (.91), Kris Letang (.83), and Kevin Shattenkirk (.70). 

In a different year, Werenski could have easily won the Calder. The production of he and Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (the last defenseman to win the award), are fairly similar, though the edge would seem to go to Werenski. 

The Blue Jackets and their fans surely have a lot to be excited about, as Werenski should only continue to improve as he develops into his prime in the NHL.