Zach Werenski’s name spent plenty of time in trade chatter this offseason, but Don Waddell says the noise never matched what was actually happening inside the Blue Jackets’ walls.
The Columbus general manager said Tuesday on First Up that the outside speculation around Werenski created a distorted picture of the situation, while the team’s conversations with the defenseman stayed far more direct and far less dramatic.
“Well, certainly the difficult part, to be honest with you, was the media because the media is not involved in our discussions,” Waddell said. “Our discussions were totally much different than what was being portrayed at times.”
Waddell said he met with Werenski multiple times, including a breakfast meeting in Detroit, and also stayed in touch with him by phone. He noted that contract talks were never on the table because NHL rules block negotiations until next summer.
“Nobody, first of all, we can’t negotiate a contract until next summer with him anyways,” Waddell said. “That got mistaken that we were in a hurry to trade him and he wanted to be traded.”
Columbus did, in fact, explore a possible deal with the Dallas Stars. But once Waddell reached out to Werenski’s camp, the response came back quickly and clearly.
“When we were talking to Dallas about the trade, when I called his agent, within an hour, I got a call back saying Zach wants to be a Blue Jacket. He doesn’t want to go any place,” Waddell said.
That message was reinforced in a later meeting, according to Waddell, who said Werenski made his stance plain.
“He said that he’s been here 10 years. He wants to see the team back in the playoffs.
He’s fully committed here,” Waddell said. “For now, he was very excited about staying here and taking this team to where we need to get back to the playoffs.”
Werenski’s decision matters for Columbus on more than one level. He’s coming off a Norris Trophy-winning season with 81 points and remains the franchise’s centerpiece. The Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a sixth straight year after a late collapse, so keeping a player of Werenski’s stature gives the organization a much steadier footing.
For Columbus, the storyline has shifted. The trade rumors are behind them, and the job now is to build a roster that can turn Werenski’s commitment into a return to the postseason.
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