The Tampa Bay Lightning have emerged as Zach Werenski’s team of choice, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Monday’s “Insider Trading.”
That report lands at a moment when the Columbus Blue Jackets appear to be open for business on their star defenseman. LeBrun said Werenski is unlikely to sign an extension in Columbus, and the club is already taking calls on the Norris Trophy winner.
Columbus, though, is said to be looking for a deal that helps the roster right away. LeBrun reported that the Blue Jackets want a return built around current players, not one centered on picks and prospects.
Werenski’s contract gives Columbus plenty of leverage, at least on paper. He’s signed through the 2027-28 season at a cap hit just over $9.5 million, and his full no-movement clause means he’d have to approve any trade. He won’t be eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2027.
The Lightning aren’t the only team in the chase. LeBrun said the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs are still in the mix, the Philadelphia Flyers “badly” want to land him, and there are other interested clubs as well.
Werenski just wrapped a huge season, finishing with 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games while earning the NHL’s top defenseman honor for the first time. He also won Olympic gold with Team USA in February.
A first-round pick by Columbus in 2015, Werenski was selected eighth overall and has spent all 10 seasons of his NHL career with the Blue Jackets. In 642 games, he’s piled up 135 goals and 465 points.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face The Core Shakeup Bowness Never Saw Coming
Rick Bowness didnt sound like a coach preparing for a routine offseason when he addressed the state of his Blue Jackets roster. The surprise came from the timing as much as the news itself, because he said the teams end-of-year meetings had wrapped with everyone on good terms before the situation shifted. For Columbus, it is a reminder that the front office and coaching staff may be staring at a very different core when next season opens.
Bowness has kept himself at arms length from the contract and trade conversations, saying he will coach the players who are in camp and leave the personnel side to Don Waddell and Judd Moldaver. Even so, the uncertainty hanging over major pieces of the roster is impossible to ignore, especially when it touches players the organization has leaned on as part of its longer-term plan. The next few months will tell whether this becomes a temporary disturbance or the start of a far bigger reset. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Face A Free Agency Crossroads That Could Reshape This Roster
The Hurricanes head into free agency with $11.105 million in cap space and most of last seasons roster already accounted for, but the real pressure point may be on the blue line. Restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin emerged as a major part of Carolinas plans as a rookie, and general manager Eric Tulsky has already made clear how important he is to the team, even if the exact contract path is still being sorted out.
Beyond Nikishin, Carolina is also weighing the rest of the market for ways to strengthen its lineup, with unrestricted free agent Mason Marchment among the names tied to the team. The fit is obvious enough: a club with a mostly set core still has room to add, but the way it balances a key young defenseman against outside help could determine whether this summer is about fine-tuning or something closer to a roster reset. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face Another Huge Decision On Elvis And Kent Johnson
The Blue Jackets are again staring at a roster decision that goes beyond simple asset management, with Aaron Portzline pointing to Kent Johnson as the kind of player Columbus is reluctant to move because of his skill and upside. That hesitation says as much about where the franchise is trying to go as any move on the table, since the front office is still weighing whether its next step should be built around young talent it believes in or around a cleaner reset elsewhere on the roster.
Elvis Merzlikins sits in a different category, but one that may be just as important for what Columbus wants next. The goalie situation has been a lingering issue, and the discussion around it is tied to a broader push to reshape the room and the teams culture before next season. Whether the Blue Jackets choose to make one of those changes, or hold on longer than expected, will say plenty about how aggressively they plan to alter the look and feel of this group. [Read more 🡒]