Kane still problem for Blue Jackets

Much to team’s chagrin, rival gets better with age

He couldn’t help but stare.

Prior to the third game of his NHL career, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski remembers glancing down the ice Oct. 21, 2016, at Nationwide Arena and feeling a little surreal as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews skated through warmups with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Your eyes are looking down there at what they’re doing and just seeing them on the ice with you is pretty unbelievable,” said Werenski, who grew up a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, a Blackhawks rival. “Obviously, now, I don’t feel that way. It’s been five years. (But) there are still moments where you kind of have to look back and say, ‘I’m in the best league in the world, playing against the best players — guys I grew up watching.’ And it’s really cool.”

Except when it isn’t.

Kane is five years older now, age 32, but his game hasn’t changed. He’s still a headache to defend, especially for the Blue Jackets, and there are no signs of aging to be found. If anything, Kane is getting better with age, which is astounding considering the number of his same-aged peers whose NHL value has plummeted in a league that keeps getting younger and faster.

“It’s really impressive,” said Werenski, who was slated to return from a lower-body injury Thursday against the Blackhawks. “It seems like the older he gets, he’s just finding ways to still contribute every single night and take over games.”

Nobody knows that more than the Blue Jackets.

Kane went into his sixth head-tohead matchup against Columbus this season with points in each of the first five games for a jaw-dropping total of 12 points on three goals and nine assists.

Included in that pile of points was a feed to Alex Debrincat 35 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 OT victory Feb. 13 in Chicago and a four-point game Tuesday in Columbus with a goal and three assists in the Blackhawks’ 6-5 shootout triumph.

Those four points also pushed his career total against the Blue Jackets to 67 in 51 games (22-45-67), which is the most he’s tallied against any team.

“He’s got a unique gift of making players around him a lot better and always putting them in spots to succeed or create chances offensively,” said Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones, who usually logs high minutes against Kane. “It’s crazy, because the players around him are more dangerous when he’s got the puck than, really, he is — which is pretty rare.”

Zach’s back

Werenski missed three more games because of the injury, which happened late in the Jackets’ 6-3 victory Feb. 2 against the Dallas Stars.

The 23-year-old defenseman missed three games before returning Feb. 13 in Chicago, but quickly left the lineup again because the injury was reaggravated.

“That was weird,” Werenski said. “I don’t think I came back too early. It started (flaring up) early in the game, so I felt kind of limited as the game went on, which is unfortunate because I practiced the day before that game (in Chicago) and I felt really good on the ice. But obviously it’s different than when you get into a game situation, so I

felt limited during the game.”

Werenski, who returned to practice Wednesday, has one goal and four assists in 13 games.

“I have a higher standard I can get to, and I think the most important thing is getting healthy,” said Werenski, who set a career-high with 20 goals last season. “Once I’m healthy, I can hopefully reach that standard and play the hockey I can play. A lot of that’s with skating, so if I have a lower-body injury it’s hard to be a skater … but I feel really good right now.”

Cannon fodder

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto was expected to play Thursday after missing the game Tuesday against Chicago with a lower-body injury. … Emil Bemstrom was recalled from the Blue Jackets’ taxi squad Thursday and was slated to face the Blackhawks in his first game since Jan. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Quotable

“There are certain days I don’t think they need to see me – and some days I don’t want to see myself. I get sick of hearing myself. I can imagine what players feel. So, we did not want to get into coaching, I guess. We wanted them to move the blood, have some fun and realize that you can have fun in a hockey season and in the inconsistencies that we’ve gone through.”

— Tortorella, on his decision to stay off the ice Wednesday at practice bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger

KYLE ROBERTSON/COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane, right, has 67 points in 51 games against Columbus, his most against any team.

ADAM CAIRNS/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, here talking with teammate Patrik Laine on Feb. 4 against Dallas, has one goal and four assists in 13 games.