Blue Jackets, Zach Werenski To Discuss Future After Draft

On the heels of Dylan Larkin requesting a trade from the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators shipping Brady Tkachuk off to the Florida Panthers, there is growing speculation that a third member of Team USA’s Gold medal-winning Olympic team could be on the move this summer. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Columbus Blue Jackets will discuss exactly that with Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zach Werenski after the NHL Draft.

While it’s uncommon for defensemen, let alone players of Werenski’s caliber, to become available, we are fortunate to have a recent comparable example. Also having two years remaining on his contract, defenseman Quinn Hughes informed the Vancouver Canucks that he had no interest in signing with them long-term, prompting a trade to the Minnesota Wild for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick.

Despite having won the Norris Trophy this season, it took several years for Werenski to find his groove with the Blue Jackets. For the first six years of his career, Werenski averaged approximately 15 goals and 48 points on an 82-game average before shoulder surgery eliminated most of his 2022-23 campaign.

That’s not to say Werenski wasn’t a great defenseman before undergoing surgery, as many teams would love to have a smooth-skating defenseman capable of 50-point seasons on their roster. Still, since returning, he’s been at an entirely different level.

Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Werenksi has scored 56 goals and 220 points in 226 games with a +19 rating, averaging 25:59 of ice time per game. In that same time frame, only Cale Makar, Evan Bouchard, and Hughes have scored more. No offense to the Blue Jackets, but unlike Makar and Bouchard, Werenski didn’t have the luxury of having a Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, or Leon Draisaitl level talent playing with him.

Under normal circumstances, determining Werenski’s value on the trade market would be next to impossible. Fortunately for the Blue Jackets, as previously mentioned, they know what they could expect thanks to the Hughes trade. Essentially, if he were to be made available, the asking price for Columbus would be the equivalent of four first-round picks.

It’s important to note that Werenski has a full no-movement clause in his contract until next season. If he takes a page out of Larkin and Tkachuk’s book, and even Hughes, for that matter, Werenski may have a similar trade list: the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, or Vegas Golden Knights. Carolina may have a decent shot with their potential assets, but it’s hard to envision the latter three teams pulling together the kind of assets needed to acquire Werenski.

Regardless, all that is putting the cart before the horse. At this stage, the speculation surrounding Werenski and the Blue Jackets is just that. There is every chance that Werenski believes in the Blue Jackets to build a winner, and is ready to commit long-term (again) to the franchise next summer. More information will likely be revealed after the draft on Sunday.