The 2026 Team USA gold medal roster has been a feeding frenzy for NHL trade rumors. Brady Tkachuk wants out. Dylan Larkin too. But the biggest domino might be Zach Werenski, who just won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and told the Columbus Blue Jackets he won’t re-sign after his contract expires.
You’d think that would set off a bidding war. But according to NHL insider Chris Johnston, the phone lines from Columbus are not exactly buzzing with activity.
“Of note with Zach Werenski available on the trade market: There is some frustration among GMs who haven’t been able to get CBJ to engage in talks on the Norris Trophy winner,” Johnston posted on X. “Certainly doesn’t seem like there’s urgency from CBJ to move the Werenski situation along.”
That’s a striking stance for a franchise that has only made the playoffs six times since joining the league in 2000-01. Werenski is 29 years old, has two years left on his deal at a $9.58 million cap hit, and just put up 22 goals and 59 assists in 75 games. He’s the kind of player who changes a contender’s ceiling overnight.
Why the Hesitation?
General manager Don Waddell might be playing the long game. Werenski’s value isn’t going down the day after the Norris Trophy announcement. If anything, waiting for the draft or next season’s trade deadline could yield a bigger return as teams get desperate. But there’s also the possibility that Columbus hasn’t fully accepted the rebuild yet. Werenski has been a Blue Jacket his whole career, first-round pick in 2015, and helped them make four straight postseason runs earlier in the decade. Moving him is essentially waving a white flag on the immediate future.
Other GMs around the league are reportedly annoyed. They want a timeline, a price tag, something to work with. Waddell is giving them nothing but silence.
That could change. It probably will change. But right now, the Blue Jackets are holding the cards, and they’re not showing their hand.
Werenski’s camp has made it clear he won’t sign an extension. So the clock is ticking, even if Columbus refuses to acknowledge it. The question isn’t whether he’ll be traded. It’s whether Waddell will pull the trigger before the market moves on without him.
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