Zach Werenski Expects Trade Rumors To Heat Up Again
The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman vetoed a deal to the Dallas Stars on June 30, using his full no-movement clause to reject a trade both teams had already verbally agreed to, one that would have sent Thomas Harley back to Columbus.
Within days, both Werenski and GM Don Waddell issued statements affirming their commitment to each other, and Werenski has stuck to that message ever since.
"I would have no issues being here for an even longer time," he told reporters in August, following an earlier statement in which he said the entire situation had "gotten blown out of proportion."
The Door Isn't Actually Closed
The core issue that drove this summer's rumors is still sitting there, unresolved.
Werenski cannot sign a new contract with Columbus until July 1, 2027, meaning even if he and the organization actually want to make it work long-term, there's a full season standing between now and when that can actually happen on paper.
Until that date arrives, every game, every playoff miss, and every outside offer gives outside teams a reason to check back in.
That outside interest was substantial before he shut it down. Per multiple reports, at least eight teams called Columbus about Werenski, with Pierre LeBrun naming the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks as clubs showing real, "keen" interest, and Tampa Bay reportedly emerging as Werenski's own preferred destination before he ultimately decided to stay.
None of those teams have addressed a long-term, top-pairing defenseman need the way landing Werenski would have solved it, which means the appetite around the league hasn't gone anywhere, even if the phone calls have quieted down for now.
What Columbus Still Has To Sort Out
Waddell has floated the idea of naming Werenski the franchise's next captain, following Boone Jenner's departure to Washington in free agency, though he's said that decision likely won't come until around training camp.
Handing Werenski the "C" would be one of the best signals the organization could send that it's fully committed to building around him rather than treating him as a trade chip on a ticking clock.
Columbus also hasn't made the playoffs since the 2020 bubble postseason, and a slow start to this season would immediately reopen the same questions that drove the rumors in the first place.
Werenski has said all the right things, including that he expects the trade rumors to return, and there's no concrete indication he's currently unhappy or looking for a way out.
But with a full year still standing between now and the moment he can actually put pen to paper on a new deal, the Blue Jackets are far from out of the woods on this one.
