Eternal optimism is a job requirement in professional sports. So is balancing expectations with reality.

It’s a fine line, and one that hockey veterans like Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell walk regularly. And while a positive attitude alone won’t win championships, there’s always that chance a team — or player — will surpass an executive’s loftiest preseason ambitions.

Waddell can admit that’s the case for Columbus now. The formerly beleaguered Blue Jackets are (shockingly) still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the final days of the NHL regular season — thanks in large part to their bus-driving, ice-tilting, game-changing defenseman Zach Werenski.

Even Waddell didn’t see all of that coming.

“I’d be lying if I said I thought Werenski would be having this good of a year,” Waddell told ESPN last month. “We were hoping he could. Now it’s happening. The way he’s playing and carrying our team, without him, I don’t know where we’d be.”

Werenski can forgive Waddell his previous doubts. The blueliner didn’t exactly predict such a triumphant season, either. But like Waddell, he had faith something like this was within him, a campaign so undeniably strong it captured the entire league’s attention and put Werenski firmly in the discussion as a Norris Trophy contender; in a recent poll of PHWA voters by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Werenski earned 48% of the first-place votes.

It’s no pipe dream now. Werenski is the real deal.

“I feel like in years past, that’s kind of slipped for me, the idea of being in that Norris conversation,” Werenski told ESPN this week. “And now I’m getting back to a level where people can talk about me in that space, right?

“I just want to help this team win. I feel like, if that’s happening, then you’re going to be talked about with the [Cale] Makars and the [Quinn] Hughes and the [Rasmus] Dahlins. I want to be in that conversation where people look at me as a number one defenseman, and I feel like I’m starting to accomplish that.”

It’s a classic chicken-or-the-egg argument. Are the Blue Jackets unexpectedly thriving because of Werenski? Or is Werenski flourishing because of Columbus’ overall commitment to this surprising Cinderella-esque season?

Right now, the answer is irrelevant. The Blue Jackets have a handful of games left to secure the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot and make their first postseason appearance since 2019-20. Werenski — with a team-leading 74 points in 75 tilts — will do whatever it takes to get there. And if that push winds up capturing him a few more Norris votes, that’s a happy byproduct of this memorable run.

“It feels good,” Werenski said. “You don’t go into the season thinking that’s going to happen. But it’s been a special year here, and it’s a spot that we haven’t been in here in Columbus for a number of years. Like, if you told us, 72 or 73 games ago, that we’d be playing meaningful hockey right now? We’d be pretty happy about it. I feel like our team has really taken a step forward.”

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TALK about Columbus without mentioning Johnny Gaudreau.

The late Blue Jackets forward and his brother Matthew were killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding bikes in their home state of New Jersey last August. That tragic loss has defined this season for the Blue Jackets, on and off the ice. Players are united in grief and have proudly carried Gaudreau’s memory with them throughout the season.

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Blue Jackets open game without left winger to honor Johnny Gaudreau

The Blue Jackets honor Johnny Gaudreau by starting their game against the Panthers with no left winger and letting 13 seconds run off the clock.

Waddell saw how that shared experience bonded his players and opted not to disrupt their chemistry with any significant trades before March’s deadline.

“With what we’ve been through this year, the way the guys have hung together and played, I thought it was important not to trade anyone off the island or bring too many guys on the island,” Waddell said. “This is a different year. I probably would have handled it differently if the circumstances weren’t what they are. But we also felt, with the way we played all year, that we had a pretty good team, so we didn’t want to change the group too much. We’re having a phenomenal year under the circumstances.”

By Waddell’s own admission, Werenski warrants a lion’s share of the credit for Columbus’ ascension. He’s been a beacon of consistency for the Blue Jackets as they’ve navigated another season with challenging health issues: captain Boone Jenner missed 56 games with a freak shoulder injury suffered in training camp; Erik Gudbranson was sidelined 66 games following a shoulder injury in Columbus’ season opener; Sean Monahan missed two months with a sprained wrist; and Kirill Marchenko was out for a month with a broken jaw.

Who knows how Columbus’ season would have played out had they been fully healthy? The good thing is that Werenski has been mostly healthy — and that in itself is a rarity. The 27-year-old has dealt with his own onslaught of injury problems over the years, including a season-ending sports hernia in 2021 and shoulder issue that cost him all but 13 games in 2022-23.

Werenski is convinced that the litany of past troubles he’s had to overcome affected how he’s viewed on the outside. And that simply couldn’t continue.

So, Werenski dug in. Some of his previous injuries were unavoidable, but Werenski became newly determined to get proactive after going through that last shoulder surgery. His new offseason regime zeroed in on more soft tissue work, with stretching and hip mobility activities. He leaned into a yoga routine, dialed in his diet and focused on sleep quality. Call it a back-to-basics approach — one that paid off.

These last two seasons are the first since 2018-19 that Werenski has appeared in at least 70 games. That has included consecutive offseasons where he could train properly and prepare accordingly. He learned plenty about himself in the process.

“I’ve definitely realized that since I’m turning 28 this summer, it takes a lot more work to be ready for seasons than it did when I was 19, 20, or 21,” he said. “I feel like I’m more focused in certain areas because of that. It’s not drastic changes, but you’re trying to help yourself. If something happens in the game that I can’t prevent, I can live with that. But it’s the groins or the hip flexors, if those start to get injured, those are things I’m a little frustrated with because those are preventable.”

The shift in his workflow speaks for itself as Werenski was typically relentless in achieving — and preserving — optimal health. He relied on short, intense sessions with the sports-specific yoga team at Joga in conjunction with trainer Brian Galivan of GVN Performance in Michigan (where other NHLers including Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat work out) to start moving the needle. Their plans worked. Werenski emerged with a career-high 57 points in 70 games in 2023-24, and he has eclipsed that during what’s unfurling rapidly as the most productive season of his professional life.

Right now, he trails only Makar in overall points (74) among league blueliners, is third in even-strength goals (14) and leads all blueliners in scoring per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (42). He has been rewriting Columbus’ record books, too; Werenski collected his 260th career assist earlier this season to pass Columbus legend Rick Nash for the franchise lead in helpers.

If Werenski always knew what he was capable of, then revealing it just took longer than he thought.

“A lot of the question marks about me have been health-related. But I feel like I’ve always believed in myself,” he said. “I feel like last year I had a pretty good year offensively. I was healthy this past summer as well. Injury troubles in the offseason have hurt my training and hurt my preparation. And I feel like part of that has gone into maybe reasons why I haven’t had that success I’m having this year. But also last year isn’t where we wanted to be as a group.”

COLUMBUS FINISHED 2023-24 losing five of its final seven games, finishing 29th overall with a 27-43-12 record. Werenski felt he had a good season and took a step forward. So, he licked his wounds playing for Team USA at the IIHF World Championships and set renewed sights on making this NHL season a big one — for the Blue Jackets and for himself.

Werenski’s vision board contained two things: push his way into Norris Trophy talks and be named to the USA’s roster for last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Both aspirations have come to fruition.

“I wanted to get back in the top echelon of defensemen conversation,” he said. “It’s hard to say, ‘Oh, I want to win a Norris,’ right? Everyone wants to win a Norris, and I know it might not ever happen for me, and I’m okay with that. I don’t really have personal goals in terms of goals and points or assists or any of that stuff. I think that all just kind of happens, I guess. But then my other goal was making the 4 Nations team, and that happened, too.”

It was on that international stage Werenski showed off his evolution into a No. 1 defenseman. When the USA lost Charlie McAvoy to an upper-body injury, it was Werenski who stepped up to fill the void. He paced the entire tournament field among defensemen with six points in four games while urging the USA to a championship final (where they lost to Canada, 3-2, in overtime).

That experience was a precursor to the upcoming 2026 Olympics. The NHL hasn’t sent players to the Games since 2014, and after how Werenski performed at 4 Nations, he seems quite likely to secure a roster spot for Milan.

Werenski is cautious about expressing excitement over the Olympics just yet — “there’s a lot of hockey before that” — but the 4 Nations Face-Off offered him something greater for now than the promise of other best-on-best invitations in the future.

“It gave me more confidence to tell myself I can play [at this high level] and I can make an impact,” he said. “I feel like you always have, maybe not question marks as a player, but there’s always a little bit of doubt at certain points. You ask yourself, ‘is this season a fluke? Should I be on this team? Can I play my game?’

“I left there and I was like, alright, I can do this, I can hang in this, and I can play. And I feel like that was pretty rewarding for all the hard work that’s been put in over the years.”

That conviction came across to Werenski’s tournament teammates. By the eve of the final, there were few superlatives he wasn’t earning from guys relying on Werenski to anchor the U.S. back end.

“It’s his confidence with the puck,” Matthew Tkachuk said of Werenski. “He’s all over the ice, and that’s a good thing. He’s never out of position. He’s always leading the rush. And that’s as a defenseman, which you never see.

“He’s their engine for their team in Columbus, and he’s doing an unbelievable job this year. I love watching him play. I know we play nothing alike and two different positions, but he’s definitely turned himself into one of the most fun players to watch.”

Werenski appreciates the accolades without letting them inflate his ego. He has a healthy skepticism about this pinnacle and how it will influence opinions — and expectations — in years ahead. Werenski won’t downplay his position either, though. He’s Columbus’ highest-paid player, in the third season of a six-year, $57.5 million contract. The Blue Jackets have bet on these being his best years, and Werenski has no plans to disappoint.

“At the end of the day, I am in my prime. I have been in the league nine years,” Werenski said. “I put the work in. I don’t think this success is a fluke. The [level] of play that I’m at now, this is my standard now in terms of how I have to impact the game for Columbus.”

His frequent defensive partner Ivan Provorov isn’t worried. He has watched Werenski dominate this season in a way that suggests it’s just the beginning of further breakout performances.

“I don’t think a lot of people are underestimating him now,” Provorov said, with a laugh. “He’s a great player in all aspects of the game; he can move the puck, skate, make plays. He’s a big part of this team. I think his stats speak for themselves. Just his overall ability to skate all over the ice and be everywhere is very important and why he’s a big part of this team and why we trust him to take over again and again.”

WATCHING THE SCOREBOARD is a nightly ritual for Werenski and his teammates.

Columbus had been neck and neck with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers to grab the East’s final playoff berth. It was deflating to see the Canadiens’ overtime win against Florida a few nights ago. Equally uplifting was, on that same night, the New York Islanders‘ loss to Tampa Bay that gave Columbus some breathing room in the chase.

Then the Blue Jackets fell to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, while Montreal beat up on the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens were pulling away — but still not entirely out of Columbus’ reach. Two losses over the weekend made their climb more challenging.

That’s the roller coaster of emotions Werenski is expecting as the Blue Jackets speed towards the finish line of this regular season, hoping they don’t run out of runway.

It’s possible that Columbus won’t punch that elusive playoff ticket this season, and it’s another too-early offseason waiting in the wings. Disappointing, sure. But that fate doesn’t feel so daunting now. The Blue Jackets are, after all, just getting started.

“Our mindset changes after this season, right? We’re so close,” Werenski said. “I think we came into this year seeing what was going to happen, what team we were going to be. Let’s say we don’t make the playoffs, though. Well next year, we are coming to camp and it’s realistic, like we’re going to make the playoffs. That’s our next step.”

It’s not lip service, either. The Blue Jackets have a promising core in place headlined by Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Marchenko, plus viable veterans in Monahan, Jenner and, of course, Werenski. Those players have pledged some of their best years to Columbus for a reason.

There are intangible factors as well.

Columbus’ impact players are forever driven by losing Gaudreau, who was as motivated as they are to see the Blue Jackets’ franchise take off again. His jersey hangs proudly in Columbus’ dressing room. Werenski said multiple players per day come to the rink in the Gaudreau hoodies Columbus wore at the Stadium Series in March.

“We know how much he’s impacted this organization and this team, and he’s going to continue to impact it every day,” Werenski said. “We just try to honor him as best we can, and that’s by playing hard and enjoying the game, because that’s what he did.”

This is a tight-knit group. A family in its own right. And they’re on a mission to prove the best is yet to come.

For Werenski, that belief has been a long time coming.

“We have to go into camp next year and not be like, ‘Oh, we hope to make playoffs.’ No. We’re making it,” he said. “We’ve wasted long enough here, missing the playoffs, and now we’re in a spot where our younger guys are a year older and our veteran guys are also a year older, right? They’re coming to a later stage in their careers, and there’s not as much time left.

“I feel like our mindset changes that way. And I feel like this season has definitely given us more confidence, especially for next season to say we’re going to make the playoffs.”