Where do things stand with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Zach Werenski?
TSN: Pierre LeBrun on the Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets situation
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Gino Reda: “Pierre, you lit a bit of a fire as well when you started talking about Zach Werenski. Fresh off a Norris trophy victory. He’s still got two more years on a deal that pays him $9.5 million a season, and yet you’re suggesting that maybe he’s not in their long-term plans with the Jackets.
LeBrun: “Yeah, well, I’m not the one suggesting, and his camp has suggested it to the Columbus Blue Jackets, I think in a pretty clear way that he’s not going to be extending at the end of his deal.
What do the Winnipeg Jets do with Connor Hellebuyck?
And so that information now sits with Columbus. And I think it’s probably in the Blue Jackets’ best interest to fully gauge what the trade market is now, two years out for Zach Werenski. Doesn’t mean they have to deal in this offseason, but I think it’s more probable that they are.
And some teams are already starting to emerge. This is going to be, listen, a drawn-out process, probably, but the Dallas Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Carolina Hurricanes right away are teams to monitor here. Those teams have interest in Zach Werenski. I think that list will get to a dozen long by the end of this process.
But again, for Zach Werenski, he has to waive his no-move. But this is a massive piece here in the middle of the offseason in terms of teams’ attention.
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on the draft floor on Saturday morning on the Columbus Blue Jackets and Zach Werenski.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“First of all, number one, Zach Werenski. This has become one that has quickly risen to the top of the NHL news ecosystem. There was a lot of noise around Werenski the last few weeks, but now, in the last 24 hours, word that he has informed the Blue Jackets that there’s no guarantee he will extend after the next two years of his deal.
And it’s kind of in Columbus’ hands of how they want to do it, and they’ve started opening up talks. They’re at least discussing it with other teams. I don’t know how I’d handicap the likelihood of it, but as you can imagine, there is interest.
What’s going on with Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko?
Detroit and Philadelphia being, sorry, Dallas and Philadelphia being among the teams that are expected to be very aggressive. We’ll see how it turns out.
What I understand about how it’s going to work is, I don’t believe Werenski has provided a list of teams. I think what we’re looking at here is if Columbus has a deal they like, they will go to Werenski and see if he is willing to approve it.
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