Blue Jackets, Zach Werenski seem to have worked out their issues

Werenski has two years remaining on his contract, but his future became in doubt when word surfaced this offseason that he was not going to be interested in re-signing with the team at the conclusion of that deal.

There was no official trade demand ever made, but it certainly led to speculation that one could be coming. 

Given that the Blue Jackets could see the potential writing on the wall, they began seeking out trade options to move Werenski at his peak value and avoid the risk of losing him for nothing in a couple of years.

They reportedly found a deal with the Dallas Stars.

Werenski, however, utilized his no-trade protections in his contract and rejected the deal, leading to speculation that the situation was about to get ugly.

But as the statements on Wednesday show, the two sides seem to have talked through their issues and bridged whatever gap had existed. Werenski said that he felt things over the past week or two were blown way out of proportion.

In the short-term, this is a huge win for the Blue Jackets.

Not only is Werenski their best player and one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL, losing him would have been a massive PR blow and gut-punch for a fan base that has known nothing but losing and frustration for almost all of its existence. The Werenski story was made even worse by the report that Kirill Marchenko, one of the team's best forwards, also made it known he was not interested in signing a long-term extension with the franchise. 

There are still some big questions about what this means a year or two into the future, but it at least gives the Blue Jackets some short-term optimism. And perhaps another year or two to potentially show Werenski that they are capable of building a winning team and convincing him to want to stay.