- Zach Werenski broke his silence on a summer of trade rumors
- The Norris winner has two years left before he can sign an extension
- Read below for the full quotes and the video from Nationwide Arena
Zach Werenski wants everyone to know he is staying put.
The Blue Jackets defenseman talked to reporters at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, his first media session since a summer of trade speculation nearly moved him out of Columbus. He did not dance around it.
“I’m just really happy with how it all unfolded, and I’m still wearing this hoodie today with a Blue Jackets logo on it. This is where I want to be. I’ve felt that way from Day 1.”
Check out the clip the Blue Jackets posted from the session:
Werenski went further when he was asked how far ahead he is looking. He stopped short of promising an extension, but he did not leave much doubt about the plan.
“Ideally, I’m here for the long term,” he said, per NHL Trade Talk.
He also made clear that Thursday was the one and only time he plans to address the rumors publicly, and that most of what came out this summer did not come from him.
“A lot of the stuff I was learning for the first time reading it. It was stuff I didn’t really know about or hear about. It was kind of misconstrued a little bit in how I felt and where I was at. With saying that, I know people have jobs to do, and they’re getting their information from somewhere, but it definitely wasn’t from me.”
Team reporter Dylan Tyrer pulled the line that probably says the most about why Werenski stayed:
That saga got messy fast. General manager Don Waddell listened to offers in late June, a deal with the Stars was in place, and Werenski used his no-trade clause to kill it within about an hour. Waddell said the destination was never the issue.
“It wasn’t Dallas,” Waddell told NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika on July 2. “He just didn’t want to be traded.”
Columbus put out a statement from Werenski on July 1 saying everything had been blown out of proportion. Six weeks later, he is saying the same thing with a microphone in front of him.
Here is the full availability:
Werenski is 29 and coming off the best year of his career. He won his first Norris Trophy after putting up 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games, one season removed from finishing runner-up with a career-high 82 points. He owns 465 points in 642 games, the most by any defenseman in franchise history.
Two years remain on his deal at a $9.58 million cap hit. He cannot sign an extension until July 1, 2027, which means the contract question resurfaces after next season no matter what he says now.
Six straight seasons have ended without playoff hockey in Columbus, and the front office held onto Kirill Marchenko through his own round of trade chatter this summer. Werenski wants the seventh year to look different.
