Zach Werenski's murky future with Blue Jackets the latest sign of changing NHL

Zach Werenski's contract status could be the question for Columbus Blue Jackets

Werenski is not yet eligible to sign a contract extension. He is still a full year away — July 1, 2027 — from extension eligibility. Still, this meeting gives Columbus a chance to find out two critical pieces of information. First, is he open to an extension in Columbus, potentially finishing his career in there? Second, what does that hypothetical contract look like? 

The NHL is in the midst of a revenue boom, and the salary cap has followed suit. The nickel-and-dime policies of the flat cap era have ended. While not every team will spend to the salary cap, contracts will eventually catch up to the growth. Critically, in the early stages of the rising salary cap, teams will have more relative cap space because the contracts they already have on their books were primarily signed in an era where teams were doing everything possible to keep costs down.

In short, Werenski's going to get paid by someone. Thirty-one other teams would happily sign him — he's that good. AFP Analytics does not yet have a projection for Werenski. But a similar player, Minnesota's Quinn Hughes, is projected to take in more than $15 million per season.

Do Columbus Blue Jackets need to get ahead of this?

Historically, teams prefer to use time if they have it. NHL teams now tend to place less of a premium on pure rental trades than they do on players with term or being willing to extend their contracts when acquired. If Columbus were to navigate a Werenski trade, it would have the full attention of the NHL. 

In addition to two full seasons remaining on his last contract just north of $9.58 million, Werenski's final year features only a 10-team no trade list, according to Puck Pedia. For an acquiring team, it might give them a chance to recoup assets on Werenski if for some reason the acquisition didn't work out as well as expected. 

The Jackets watched the Ottawa Senators recoup three first-round picks — including the No. 9 overall selection this Friday — for Tkachuk. That deal isn't perfect, but it's monumentally superior to the minimal return Toronto scrounged up for Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade last offseason once Marner decided he would not return to Toronto. 

NHL teams have always tried to protect their assets, but the landscape in how they do it continues to evolve. Werenski, if traded, would simply be the latest proof.