Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski did not hold back about his thoughts on Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway when he spoke about the collision between the two players that resulted in a quad injury and a two-game absence for Werenski thus far.

Werenski said during a recent appearance on 97.1 The Fan's Rothman & Ice that the hit was “unfortunate” and that Hathaway clearly was going for a “dirty play” (h/t Jason Newland of The Hockey News).

Werenski said that Hathaway “knows what he's doing and that “it was not an accident by any means.”

The incident happened right in the Blue Jackets' first game of the season last week at home, which Columbus lost, 4-2. Since then, Werenski has missed two games in a row, including Monday's 4-0 blanking at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in Columbus.

Werenski, however, appears to be nearing a return, as he is said to be optimistic about his chances of seeing action again this coming Friday versus the Calgary Flames at home, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

“Zach Werenski is hopeful he can play Friday vs. Calgary. Big test will be how the quad responds on Thursday to what was a fairly intense practice today.”

As a result of his action, Hathaway has been slapped with a $5,000 fine by the NHL, the largest amount a player can be penalized with under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Zach Werenski has been playing in the big league with the Blue Jackets since the 2016-17 season. In the 2022-23 campaign, he scored three goals and dished out five assists in just 13 games because of an upper-body injury.