Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski Fires Back at Bill Simmons

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski does not care what anybody has to say about the place he calls home.

In a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, longtime sports media personality Bill Simmons answered a fan question about what the most irrelevant franchise in professional sports was. After much contemplation, the answer Simmons ultimately reached was the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

That response raised eyebrows among avid hockey fans, but someone who took exception to it was Werenski.

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter,” Werenski said to the media prior to the team’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “It is what it is, I guess, right? I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I like Columbus, I like playing here, and I don’t care what Bill Simmons has to say.”

The Case Against Columbus

The evidence Simmons brought to the table for why the Blue Jackets are the most irrelevant franchise in all professional sports was extensive. He rattled off the team’s unimpressive resume that features just six playoff appearances and only two series victories — one of which was just a qualifying round win during the 2019-20 season. He also made note of the lack of any notable team captains.

Still, the point seemed harsh — yet Simmons was not done roasting Ohio’s lone NHL franchise.

“I’ve never heard a single conversation about the Blue Jackets,” Simmons said. “Now granted, I don’t have a ton of hockey fans in my life, but I have never heard a single convo about them.”

Can the Blue Jackets Change His Mind?

Columbus Blue Jackets celebrat — Nov 17, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images | Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

The last five seasons of Blue Jackets hockey have not produced positive results, though the team did take a step forward last year and just barely missed out on a playoff spot.

So far, it appears some of that momentum has carried over into this campaign. Columbus currently sits at 10-8-2 and in a tie for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. While it is on the outside looking in right now, there is a ton of season to be played, and there is certainly a chance that the team gets hot and makes a run to the postseason.

In order to do that, the Blue Jackets’ stars are going to need to shine, with Werenski perhaps being chief among them. Through 20 games, the 28-year-old from Michigan has scored six goals — the second most among defensemen in the NHL. He is one of the linchpins of the Blue Jackets’ entire operation. When he is playing well, the team as a whole usually is too.

If Werenski and company get the Blue Jackets back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in five seasons, then the folks who have looked down on the franchise — Bill Simmons included — might finally be able to say that they were wrong. Because in the end, all it takes is one magical season for irrelevance to fade away.

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