Zach Werenski Nearly Got Traded. That Alone Should Cost Him the Blue Jackets Captaincy.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking for a new captain for the first time in five years. Boone Jenner, who wore the C for five seasons and spent 13 years with the organization, signed with Washington this offseason. That leaves a leadership void. But the way Zach Werenski handled himself this summer should disqualify him from filling it.

Werenski is the most talented player on the roster. That part is obvious. But talent alone doesn’t make someone a captain, especially when he spent the summer essentially auditioning for a trade out of town.

Here’s what happened. According to multiple reports, Werenski told the team he wasn’t interested in signing an extension. His current deal runs through 2027-28. That set off a chain reaction. Speculation grew that the defenseman might request a trade. General manager Don Waddell had to address it publicly.

“There are some matters we’re dealing with that should probably stay internal,” Waddell told Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers. “My plan is still to meet with Zach in the near future and see where he’s at. We’ve had some conversations with his agent, but there’s been no definitive plan.”

Waddell didn’t just sit on his hands. He explored a trade. Reports say a deal was nearly done with Dallas. Werenski would have gone to the Stars, and defenseman Thomas Harley would have come back to Columbus. The only thing missing was Werenski agreeing to the move. He didn’t. The next day he released a statement saying he wanted to stay and win in Columbus.

Holding a press conference to say you want to stay, after nearly forcing a trade, is not exactly captain material.

What does the captain actually do?

The NHL rulebook says the captain is the only player allowed to talk to officials about rule interpretations. That’s the formal part. The real job is different. He’s the voice in the locker room. He’s the guy the media goes to after wins and losses. He’s supposed to set the standard for effort, preparation, and professionalism off the ice as well as on it.

That’s why guys like Joe Thornton and Mike Modano and Patrick Marleau earned so much respect. It wasn’t just their stats. It was how they carried themselves when no one was watching. Boone Jenner had that quality too. It’s why teammates gravitated toward him.

Right now, Werenski is the face of the franchise by default. He’s the best player. He scores. He eats big minutes. But there’s a difference between being the best player and being the leader. Look around the league. Jordan Staal isn’t Carolina’s best player, but he’s their captain. Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby — they’re all elite players, but they also never gave their front office an ultimatum about staying or going.

Werenski’s own words are the problem

In his statement after the trade fell apart, Werenski said: “Don and I have had very open and honest dialogue since the season ended. Ideally, this wouldn’t have become such a public thing but that is the world we live in now and everything got blown out of proportion in my opinion. I want to win and I want to do that in Columbus.”

A couple things jump out. First, he never actually denied that he was open to leaving. He just said he wished it hadn’t become public. That’s a distinction that matters. If a player is keeping his options open, it’s hard to hand him the C. He can’t sign an extension until next offseason, but he could make a clear commitment right now. He hasn’t.

Second, he keeps bringing up winning. The Blue Jackets haven’t made the playoffs since 2020. Next season doesn’t look much better. The division has Carolina, which just won the Stanley Cup. Philadelphia and Washington made real improvements. And the Eastern Conference is loaded with Florida, Tampa Bay, Boston, Buffalo, and Montreal all fighting for spots. Columbus is likely on the outside again.

If that happens, the same tension will resurface. Werenski will be frustrated. The trade rumors will start again. And Columbus will have a captain with one foot out the door.

Rick Bowness showed in Winnipeg that he wasn’t afraid to strip the C from a player who didn’t fit the role. He went a year without a captain before giving it to Adam Lowry. Columbus should take a similar approach. Let someone else wear the C, even if it’s a temporary solution. Werenski can wear an A and still be the star. But giving him the captaincy after this summer would be a mistake.