It’s a road the Blue Jackets have traveled too often during their star-crossed history, and they really don’t want to go down it again with Zach Werenski.
After losing a bevy of talent the past six years while complying with trade requests by Seth Jones, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson, Patrik Laine and even David Jiricek, a disgruntled rookie, it’s starting to feel like the skids are now being greased for Werenski’s exit.
Nothing is imminent, but an item in The Athletic’s June 10 “NHL Rumblings” column by insider Pierre LeBrun sparked shivers among a Blue Jackets fanbase that knows how these scenarios typically end in Columbus.
What prompted Zach Werenski trade speculation?
LeBrun’s column was published five days after news leaked that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade despite having five years left on a contract paying him $8.7 million a season.
Werenski and Larkin have been friends since they were kids and roomed together in college while playing at the University of Michigan. They were also teammates at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, where they helped the U.S. win its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” triumph.
Once Larkin’s trade request became public, speculation about Werenski soon followed.
LeBrun initially cited an unnamed source saying that neither Werenski nor his agent, Judd Moldaver, has issued a trade request to the Blue Jackets. The next paragraph, however, left open the possibility that happens before the end of the summer. It reads like speculation, but LeBrun is an insider for a reason.
His discussion of a potential Werenski trade request certainly created a buzz in the NHL and caught the attention of the Blue Jackets’ front office. The Dispatch reached out to Moldaver about the report and Werenski’s future, but didn’t get a response.
How concerned should the Columbus Blue Jackets be about Zach Werenski?
Werenski, the Jackets’ leader in points the past two seasons, has two years left on a contract that makes him the team’s highest-paid player at $9.5 million per season.
He’s also the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman, a first-team NHL All-Star the past two years and doesn’t turn 29 until July 19. The good news for the Blue Jackets is Werenski’s silence, thus far, about a trade.
They’ve already carved out a big chunk of space in salary-cap projections to give him a big raise when he’s due for a new contract, and that remains Waddell’s priority. Trade request or not, Werenski should expect the Blue Jackets to push hard for his signature on a new deal the first day that’s possible (July 1, 2027).
Where things get murkier is in the standings, which haven’t stacked up for the Blue Jackets since they last qualified for the playoffs in 2020. Despite coming close the past two years, the Jackets didn’t get into the postseason, and there’s no guarantee they’ll make it next season either.
After celebrating a U.S. world championship in May 2025 and winning Olympic gold in February, Werenski’s taste for winning has spiked. On the ice, he’s done just about everything but hoist the Stanley Cup.
Winning is likely what matters most for Werenski, who must decide soon whether the Blue Jackets can give him the best opportunity to do it. He’s stated multiple times how much he enjoys living and playing in Columbus. He and his wife, Odette, are now parents. However, Werenski has also watched a number of former Blue Jackets teammates hoist the Cup with other teams, most recently Eric Robinson with this year’s Carolina Hurricanes.
Should Werenski decide that staying put gives him a lower chance of winning the Stanley Cup than chasing it elsewhere, that’s a big hurdle for Waddell. There’s no guarantee it will reach that point, but Werenski’s future is officially a talking point now.
Per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players’ Association, the Blue Jackets can’t even discuss a new contract with Werenski until he’s eligible to sign one July 1, 2027, which is one year out from the date he can become an unrestricted free agent.
Werenski, meanwhile, is free to discuss the future with his agent, family and friends, which could influence his decision either way. Stay tuned.
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Zach Werenski request a trade from Columbus Blue Jackets?
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
