Despite the tumult of the offseason, Zach Werenski is already back in Columbus. The concept of a Zach Werenski trade shouldn’t be front of mind, for now. It seems like Werenski would, ideally, rewind the events of the summer that led to a near-trade with the Dallas Stars. He doesn’t believe fans should fear his departure.
“I’d stop fretting about it,” Werenski said.
He addressed the media in Columbus earlier Thursday. Werenski, who spoke glowingly about Columbus, believes winning “fixes everything.”
“I would have no issue being here an even longer time,” he said.
A Zach Werenski Trade Nearly Rocked the NHL
Werenski, one of the Team USA Olympic hockey heroes from last February, nearly became the latest Olympian to leave his team. Werenski and GM Don Waddell met before free agency opened. Waddell apparently came away from that meeting thinking Werenski would not extend his contract with Columbus. He has two years remaining on a six-year deal with an annual cap hit of $9,583,333. In light of the news, a Zach Werenski trade made sense for Columbus, and it nearly came to fruition with Dallas.
“A little bit crazy,” Werenski said. “Not something that either myself or Don intended on it to get to. I think my statement is exactly how I feel. I want to win, and I want to win in Columbus.”
Six seasons without making the playoffs will hardly quell the Zach Werenski trade discussions among fans around the league. It seemed to get worse after this season. In consecutive seasons, Columbus finished just outside the playoff race. The Jackets won six consecutive games, partially on the back of a dominant Jet Greaves in net, to end 2024-25.
Expectations were much higher coming into 2025-26. A slow start, a midseason acquisition of Mason Marchment and a coaching change helped spark the Jackets. Still, they labored to a nightmarish 3-9-1 finish. A potential playoff spot and an end to the drought evaporated. Even after that, Jackets fans likely weren’t anticipating how close a Zach Werenski trade came to occurring.
“The last two years have left a bitter taste in my mouth in terms of being so close and not making it,” Werenski said. “I know, luckily, how good this city is when the team is in the playoffs.”
Z’s right at home pic.twitter.com/7GZer2ach5
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 13, 2026
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Can Columbus Return to Playoff Contention?
As if the end of the season hadn’t been bad enough for Blue Jackets fans, the uncertainty around a Zach Werenski trade must have made it unquantifiably worse. Still, this can be a playoff team in 2026-27 with Zach Werenski.
The Jackets are in a wide-open Metropolitan division. There’s a pretty clear consensus belief that Carolina is the best team in the division, regardless of where they finish in the regular season standings. Washington, one of the off-season’s biggest winners, will likely claim an automatic playoff spot if things go according to plan. After that, things get interesting. The other six teams are a curious mix. Consequently, the Jackets are competing with teams like the Penguins and Flyers, who don’t want to take a step back after last season’s surprise run. Additionally, they’ll have to deal with the Rangers, who have much higher expectations internally. The Devils and Islanders are not rebuilding either.
It’s a great opportunity for Columbus, but it could result in a gauntlet during the season. Still, it appears, at least for now, that the superstar defenseman is committed to Columbus.
“It’s been too long since we’ve been there, and I’m going to be a reason that we’re back in it,” Werenski said.
For now, at least, put a pin in the Zach Werenski trade talk.
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