Zach Werenski hitting the trade market in recent days has come as a shock to the hockey world, although we probably should have seen this possibility coming.
He’s an American superstar with two years left on his contract (extension eligible in a year’s time) on a Columbus Blue Jackets team that isn’t currently—and doesn’t appear to be—close to becoming a contender.
It’s almost an exact replica of where Quinn Hughes was this time last year with the Vancouver Canucks heading into the 2025-26 season… and we saw it didn’t take long for that to spill over.
By the sounds of it, Werenski loves it in Columbus, and rightfully so, but what he wants is a chance to win. As a 28-year-old (turning 29 in July), that just isn’t going to happen with the Blue Jackets, at least in the near future.
As a result, he’s let them know he very likely won’t be extending beyond his current deal, so let the games begin on a massive trade sweepstakes. Where should he go? Where are the most likely places he could land? We put together a five-pack of Werenski landing spots that combine both!
Before we get into it… the Carolina Hurricanes absolutely would have made—or at least been strongly considered for—this list, but the John Carlson trade and potential signing took them out of the running. Their already stout defense corps looks pretty set. Another honorable mention goes to the team they beat in the Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights, who always find a way to put themselves in the mix when a big name hits the market. Don’t sleep on them here. Alright, onto the five.
Toronto Maple Leafs
We called this back in February when Mike Modano said the Maple Leafs needed to get a star defenseman to help Auston Matthews out. Our superstar option at the top of the list? Werenski. The fit, the need, and the connection to Matthews made—and still make—way too much sense.
The buzz around this actually happening is starting to build. Pierre LeBrun says Toronto is the lone Canadian team Werenski might consider, and some are even suggesting that he’s pushing to join Matthews on the Maple Leafs. How much truth is there to all of that? Who knows, but where there’s smoke, there’s often fire, and there is a lot of smoke connecting Werenski to Toronto right now.
We’ve never understood why Matthew Knies has come up in trade rumors… unless it’s for this guy. Columbus would surely need Knies in any return package, but that’s just something John Chayka has to stomach to get this done. Imagine a PP1 featuring Matthews, William Nylander, Gavin McKenna, and John Tavares with Werenski up top… just nasty.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Staying in the Atlantic Division, next up we’ve got the Tampa Bay Lightning. All of the star players’ wish lists these days include Florida, Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas, but with those four all rather unlikely for Werenski, the next most desirable destination just might be Tampa Bay. A championship-caliber team full of stars playing in a warm-weather, low-tax state sounds like an ideal spot to hitch onto.
With Darren Raddysh gone to Toronto and Victor Hedman now 35 years old, the Lightning could use a top-pairing defenseman. What better timing for arguably the best in the game to become available? It doesn’t sound like Julien BriseBois is going to be shy about his pursuit of Werenski either.
The core of Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and company is still great, but four straight first-round exits have shown they need more help, and Werenski is exactly the type of player who would provide that. Speaking of a good PP1: Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Werenski… borderline unstoppable.
San Jose Sharks
This was one we had our eyes on in the lead-up to the draft, with the second and ninth overall picks potentially in play. Instead, Mike Grier kept them, and that worked out pretty well, nabbing Ivar Stenberg and Keaton Verhoeff. The Sharks could simply stay the course with their rebuild and let the youngsters develop together. That said, Macklin Celebrini might already be knocking on the door of being a top-five player in the world, so expediting that process by acquiring Werenski is very tempting.
The best thing for San Jose is they could easily do both. Grier has the quantity and quality of prospects that he could this kind of move without even putting much of a dent in his pipeline. Pair that with still having enough draft picks and an abundance of cap space, and you can understand why the Sharks are now often mentioned when star players emerge in trade talks.
San Jose has built a strong young nucleus on the back end through recent drafts, but they still might not have that true number one defenseman. The opportunity to acquire Werenski, bridge the gap, and take some pressure off the shoulders of the kids would be a tremendous setup.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have been mentioned by every insider when it comes to Werenski landing spots so far, and for good reason. Jim Nill is always aggressive in looking to improve his team as they continue trying to get over the hump and win a Stanley Cup with this core. We saw with Mikko Rantanen that he’ll take big swings, and we shouldn’t expect that to stop anytime soon.
Uncertainty around Jason Robertson makes this a bit trickier, though Nill could flip Robertson for a haul of assets to not only create the necessary cap space but also help put together a strong enough package to pry Werenski out of Columbus. You have to think Thomas Harley—a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman—would be a likely target for the Blue Jackets.
This is the kind of move the Stars have to make if they want to get through the likes of the Avalanche, Wild, and Golden Knights in the Western Conference. Werenski alongside Miro Heiskanen might be the most picture perfect defense pairing you could create in all of hockey, by the way.
Detroit Red Wings
This one might be more of a shot in the dark, but there is a world where it makes a lot of sense. Things don’t seem to be going anywhere on the Dylan Larkin trade front, so why can’t the Red Wings pivot and try to entice him to stay by trading for one of his best friends and one of the best defensemen in the world? Whatever harsh feelings there are between Larkin and Steve Yzerman can be put to the side if the latter finds a way to get Werenski—Michigan native—to Detroit.
They were deep in the running for Quinn Hughes, and that need for help on the left side of the blue line remains. There aren’t many better ways to attempt to snap a 10-year playoff drought than by landing the Norris Trophy winner and, in turn, keeping your captain. Yzerman doesn’t want to take a step back, but if he wants to move forward, he’s going to have to be creative, and that’s exactly what this would be.
A Werenski–Moritz Seider pairing would be reminiscent of the early Werenski–Seth Jones days in Columbus… and an absolute nightmare to play against. Push Simon Edvinsson down to the second pairing, and the Red Wings would have formed a top three on defense that stacks up with anybody.
Next: Trades Grades: Brady Tkachuk Joins Brother Matthew in Florida
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