Zach Werenski appears to be off the trade market.
Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell and Werenski himself each issued statements Wednesday afternoon indicating Werenski prefers to remain in Columbus after several days of trade rumours and a nixed deal with the Dallas Stars.
“Ideally, this wouldn’t have become such a public thing but that is the world we live in now and everything got blown out of proportion in my opinion,” said Werenski. “I want to win and I want to do that in Columbus. As l’ve thought about things and discussed everything with my wife and family, we want to be in Columbus.
“It has been my home for the past 10 years and I have always been proud to be a Blue Jacket. We have the best fans in the NHL. I love my teammates and coaches and I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to get us back in the playoffs to compete for a Stanley Cup. Don and I are completely aligned on that and are excited about what’s to come with our team.”
Waddell said in his statement that he met with Werenski in the spring to discuss the future, which included some uncertainty from the veteran blueliner.
“During those discussions, we talked about me exploring opportunities to move him now and we all agreed if there was a deal to be made that I would bring it to him,” Waddell said.
“We found something that would work for the club and took it to him. After some time and discussions with his family, Zach informed us that he didn’t want to leave Columbus. He has invested a great deal in this organization and after coming close and falling short the past two seasons, his desire is to win here and get this team back into the playoffs.”
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported earlier in the day that Werenski, his agent Judd Moldaver, and Waddell spoke Wednesday to clear the air and calm the situation down, adding Waddell could still present the star blueliner with a trade, but it is not on the radar at this point.
The update comes after the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning were believed to be pushing for Werenski after he vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
Head coach Rick Bowness said earlier this week he was surprised to see Werenski’s name come up in trade rumours.
“I’m as shocked as anyone that this came up,” Bowness said at Blue Jackets development camp, per NHL.com. “I mean, at the end-of-the-year meetings, we looked each other in the eye and had great meetings and gave each other a hug leaving, and all that. So, everything was good.
“So, I was a shocked and caught off guard like everyone else. But it is what it is.”
Werenski, 28, registered 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games with the Blue Jackets last season while averaging 26:37 of ice time.
The 6-foot-2, left-shot blueliner is entering fifth season of a six-year, $57.5 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $9.58 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
He has a full-no move clause in his deal running until the end of next season, before it converts into a modified 10-team no-trade list for the 2027-28 campaign.
Drafted eighth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2015, Werenski has 135 goals and 465 points in 642 career games.
His best offensive season came during the 2024-25 campaign after he registered 23 goals and 82 points in 81 games with a plus-12 rating and averaging 26:45 of ice time.
The Grosse Pointe, Mich., native represented the United States at Milano Cortina 2026, helping his country to a gold-medal victory. He also represented his country at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 in a second-place finish.
Werenski represented the United States three times at the World Hockey Championship, helping his nation win gold in 2025 to end a 92-year drought.
