Defenceman Zach Werenski met with reporters in Columbus on Thursday and maintained his desire to win as a member of the Blue Jackets.
“I think everyone knows how much I love this city and how much it means to me, and I would have no issues being here for an even longer time,” Werenski told a scrum at Nationwide Arena in his first availability since the end of the season. “I want to see us in the playoffs and I want to see us make progress, and I feel like we’ve done that.
“Winning solves everything, and that’s where we have to get to as a club. We have to raise our standards and expectations, and that starts with myself. I fully plan on doing that this year and being an even better player, a better leader. And, hopefully, that just means I’m here even longer.”
The Blue Jackets, who missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, were subject to trade rumours surrounding the Norris Trophy-winning blueliner after reports indicated that his long-term commitment to the team was in question when his contract expires after the 2027-28 campaign.
Werenski, 28, registered 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games last season while averaging 26:37 of ice time.
The news of his possible availability sent fans and the media into a frenzy of speculation over where the superstar blueliner might land if the Blue Jackets elected to trade him.
TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun reported on June 30 that the Blue Jackets had a deal in place to send Werenski to the Dallas Stars, with speculation indicating that a package including defenceman Thomas Harley would go the other way.
Werenski, who has a full no-movement clause, decided that he’d rather remain a Blue Jacket.
“It was tough for about a week there,” Werenski told reporters, explaining that there was some miscommunication between him, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell and his agent Judd Moldaver. “I felt like it was kind of misconstrued a little bit on how I felt.
“In saying that, people have jobs to do, and, you know, they’re getting their information from somewhere, but it definitely wasn’t from me. The only thing I can go off is mine and Don’s conversations, and we’ve had great conversations since right when the season ended. I don’t know what my agent and Don are talking about. Well, I do, to an extent. But certain things started to swirl and kind of snowballed, and it escalated to a spot that neither me nor Don intended. At least that’s how I feel about it.”
The Blue Jackets’ off-season also included re-signing pending unrestricted free agent Charlie Coyle to a six-year extension in May and adding veteran forward Valeri Nichushkin in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche before the start of free agency.
The team also signed veteran forward Ryan Lomberg and re-signed defenceman Erik Gudbranson on July 1, as well as goaltender Jet Greaves and forward Cole Sillinger.
Restricted free agent Adam Fantilli, who was third on the team in scoring last season with 24 goals and 59 points in 82 games, remains unsigned.
“After today, my focus is fully on our team winning,” Werenski told reporters. “I’m not going to answer questions about my future. That’s why today was important to kind of get these out of the way.
“But when I come to camp, I think all my teammates will know how committed I am, and I’m just excited to get back out there with them.”
