- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Blue Jackets and Zach Werenski will meet after this weekend’s draft to talk about his future
- Werenski has not asked out and still has two years left on his deal in Columbus
- Read below for what the reigning Norris winner means to the Jackets and why this one matters
The Blue Jackets have a conversation coming with their best player.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Columbus and Zach Werenski plan to sit down after this weekend’s NHL Draft to discuss where things stand:
This is not a trade request. Werenski has not asked out, and Friedman made a point of saying so. The meeting is about getting clarity, not pushing anyone out the door.
Werenski has two years left on his contract, and his value to Columbus is hard to overstate. Friedman said the Jackets need to figure out exactly where things sit before they map out the rest of their summer.
He is coming off the best season of his career. Werenski won the Norris Trophy this month as the league’s top defenseman, the first player in Blue Jackets history to take it home. He piled up 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points in 75 games and led all defensemen in shots.
The backdrop makes the whole thing louder. Brady Tkachuk already got moved to Florida this week, and the offseason has turned into a run on star names. Any hint that a 28-year-old Norris winner could shake loose would light up every front office in the league.
Columbus does not sound eager to go there. The Jackets built a lot of their identity around Werenski, and trading him would gut a team that finally looked like it was climbing.
The plan is simple. Get through the draft, sit down with the franchise defenseman, and find out what he wants the next two years to look like.
