Zach Werenski and Rick Bowness just gave five hopeful teams bad news if Columbus keeps its Norris winner right where he is.
That is the real read off Pierre LeBrun's update. There has been no trade request from Werenski, and the most important part may be that nothing has even been communicated to the Blue Jackets yet.
“I can tell you as of Wednesday afternoon, I'm told there has not been any communication to the Columbus Blue Jackets indicating that kind of thing on Werenski.” - Pierre LeBrun
That cools the fantasy a bit for teams looking for a franchise defenseman. It does not slam the file shut, but it makes the summer feel a lot less open than rumor boards wanted.
“I'm not ready to say that it couldn't happen before the end of the summer, either.” - Pierre LeBrun
Chicago should hate hearing that. The Blackhawks finished 29-39-14 and gave up 275 goals, so a true No. 1 defenseman would have changed the whole pace of their rebuild around Connor Bedard.
The fit in Chicago always made sense on paper. Kyle Davidson has cap room, young assets, and a roster that still needs a top-end anchor on the blue line.
Washington belongs in the same group. The Capitals are good enough to think bigger, and a player like Werenski would have given them another elite piece for a room still trying to push while its core shifts.
Pittsburgh also feels like a natural caller. The Penguins got back to the playoffs, but adding a Norris-winning defenseman would have been the kind of aggressive swing that keeps Sidney Crosby's window from slipping.
“At some point the team and player will want to talk about the future and whether or not he sees himself in Columbus long term.” - Pierre LeBrun
A major Pierre LeBrun report just changed the conversation around a blockbuster trade
Florida is a different kind of miss. The Panthers fell to 40-38-4 after entering the year as the two-time defending Cup champions, so a star left-shot defenseman would have been one clean way to reset the back end fast.
The Rangers make sense for similar reasons. They finished 34-39-9, made the coaching change to Mike Sullivan, and still need a lot more certainty on defense behind Adam Fox. Werenski would have looked like a massive correction there.
That is what makes LeBrun's wording so important. He did not say Werenski is definitely staying forever. He said there is no request now, which keeps Columbus in control of the story for the moment.
And Columbus should fight hard to keep it that way. Werenski just posted 81 points, won the Norris, and averaged 26:37 a night. Players like that do not get replaced once they walk out the door.
He also has 2 years left at a $9.58 million cap hit, so this is the stage where the Blue Jackets need to show him the future is worth buying into, not just talk about patience.
That is why this is bad news for Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh, Florida, and New York. All five can make a real hockey case for Zach Werenski.
Right now, none of them have the one thing that matters most. Columbus still does.
Source : Zach Werenski To Request Trade From Blue Jackets?
Which team would be the best fit for Zach Werenski if he ever became available?
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