The Zach Werenski chatter in Columbus has cooled off for now, but it hasn’t disappeared. That’s the sense coming out of Aaron Portzline’s appearance Monday on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio Power Play, where the Blue Jackets’ star defenseman was still very much a topic of conversation even after a summer of speculation.
Portzline said there are still some pieces of the story that remain unclear because Werenski has not addressed it publicly beyond the statement he released with the team. But based on what he understands, Werenski never directly asked for a trade. He also never flat-out told the Blue Jackets, “I’m out of here in two years.”
What appears to have happened, Portzline explained, is that the discussion around Werenski’s future may have been misread or miscommunicated. The key point, as he framed it, was that Werenski has two years left and there is no guarantee he will extend. That uncertainty, along with his desire to see Columbus take a real step forward, helped fuel the noise.
Portzline said Werenski wants to see the Blue Jackets get into the playoffs and start winning there. He has had success before, but not at the NHL level. He won the Calder Cup with the AHL Cleveland franchise, and now he wants that kind of winning to happen in the league that matters most.
For the moment, though, the situation has settled. Portzline said Werenski has helped bring fans back into the fold, and he noted that some people were even wondering what to do with their No. 8 jerseys amid the uncertainty. Right now, the temperature is down.
That doesn’t mean the topic is gone for good.
If Columbus gets off to a rough start, Werenski’s name could come right back into the conversation. Portzline pointed out that if the Blue Jackets are out of the race at the trade deadline, or if Werenski still hasn’t signed an extension by next July 1, the speculation will return. This is the kind of storyline that can sit quietly for a while and then flare right back up the moment the season turns.
The broader takeaway is simple: the Blue Jackets and Werenski appear to have worked through the immediate tension, but the long-term questions are still there. And if Columbus doesn’t show enough progress, those questions won’t stay quiet for long.
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