Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell to discuss future with Zach Werenski
· Yahoo Sports
A press conference with Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell a day before the 2026 NHL Draft didn’t exactly quell recent speculation about Zach Werenski’s long-term future in Columbus.
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“I think for right now, there’s some matters that we’re dealing with that should probably stay internal,” Waddell said June 25 at Nationwide Arena. “My plan is still to meet with Zach here in the near future and see where he’s at, but we’ve had some conversations with his agent … [and] there’s been no definitive plan, for sure.”
Werenski, 28, is feeling the offseason spotlight after a column in The Athletic suggested the star defenseman might issue a trade request this summer or let Waddell know he doesn’t foresee playing in Columbus beyond the two years left on his contract.
Waddell said he doesn’t get the sense Werenski is basing that decision on what the Blue Jackets do this offseason, but that could factor into it. After re-signing veteran center Charlie Coyle to a six-year extension worth $36 million, the Jackets are looking to bolster their scoring depth while preparing to lose captain Boone Jenner and left wing Mason Marchment.
“Sure, [what we do] plays a part in it, but I think it’s more of, ‘Do you want to play here long-term?’ ” Waddell said. “Obviously, we can’t get into [talking] contracts because [Werenski] still has two years left, but we just want to get a good sense of where he’s at, and we’ll see how that goes and take it from there.”
There is precedent for discussions of that nature to go poorly for the Blue Jackets, who have lost quite a few key players to trade requests or players informing them they won't re-sign. That includes Werenski’s former defensive partner, Seth Jones, whose choice to not engage in extension talks in 2021 prompted a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the draft.
Those who have issued formal trade requests from the Blue Jackets include Pierre-Luc Dubios, Patrik Laine and Rick Nash, who is now part of the team's front office. Dubois and Laine were traded for each other in January 2021, and three years later is when Laine issued his own trade request from Waddell, who had just taken control of the Jackets’ front office.
Josh Anderson also forced a trade in 2020 to the Montreal Canadiens by refusing to sign a contract extension going into the final year of his deal. Now, Werenski may be mulling a change of scenery just weeks after winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. The situation seemed to materialize out of thin air when The Athletic wrote about it, but the report happened less than a week after Werenski’s close friend, Dylan Larkin, requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings.
Larkin, the Red Wings’ captain, is a hometown player in Detroit and was roommates with Werenski at the University of Michigan. Werenski, who is from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, also won a gold medal with Larkin at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Along with former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk forcing a recent trade to the Florida Panthers to join his brother Matthew Tkachuk, two more U.S. teammates, it’s starting to look like USA Hockey players want to join forces in the NHL.
Waddell, who has an extensive history with USA Hockey, sees those dots connecting.
“I guess I’d be naive if I said I haven’t recognized it,” he said. “When you come out of the Olympics and you win a gold medal, it’s probably a little more emotional then, and guys sit around in the Olympic Village, and I’ve been there and done that. They start talking about and bragging about the cities they’re playing in, and their teams, so it’s probably human nature that some of this is happening.”
Will it lead to Werenski’s exit from the Blue Jackets?
That’s a question Waddell needs to answer soon, and the only way that can happen is by having a talk with Werenski and agent Judd Moldaver.
“Obviously, we’ve known what’s happened around the league, some place north of us [Detroit], so I was watching that situation very closely to see how that was going to play out,” Waddell said. “You know, this isn’t the first time this has happened. … So, I’m never surprised by anything in this league. But if it’s something we have to deal with, we’ll deal with it.”
If so, they’ll ask for a lot.
“Hypothetically, if you’re trying to talk about trading the Norris Trophy winner, I don’t think it would be the players that are being shopped around right now [before the draft],” Waddell said. “These types of players don’t get traded too often, so I think if he would hit the market, I think the players that teams aren’t shopping [right now], that they’d like to keep, are the ones that would be available if we go that direction.”
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell to discuss future with Zach Werenski