From the Columbus Dispatch's Michael Arace:
The Blue Jackets are vastly improved for many reasons, first and foremost this one: the burgeoning awesomeness of Seth Jones and the ethereal quality of Zach Werenski. They were not expected to put themselves among the league's elite, not this year.
Jones and Werenski are ranked among the top 15 scorers among defensemen — which cannot be said for any other pair on any other team. Don't tell me you saw this coming. Their combined age (41) is two years older than Zdeno Chara and four years younger than Jaromir Jagr. At this time last year, Jones looked like a solid No. 3 and Werenski was preparing for midterms.
They have been at the forefront of the startling transformation of what was, for years and years and years, and years and years, the most nondescript team in the NHL — and, arguably, in all of American professional sports. A healthy Sergei Bobrovsky and an emergent Alexander Wennberg have contributed mightily to the Jackets' suddenly terrific assemblage, but the two defensemen are the poured-cement foundation.
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