Zach Werenski is committed to staying in Columbus, and Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell confirms that he’s on board to help lead the team back to the playoffs. Waddell talked about the offseason trade speculation around Werenski during an appearance on TSN1050's First Up on Tuesday, July 14.

This gives us his side of the situation. It also explains why Werenski chose to remain with the only NHL team he has ever played for. Werenski still has two years left on his contract and, under the NHL rules, he cannot sign an extension with Columbus until next summer.

"The difficult part of [his situation] was the media because the media got involved in our discussions, and our discussions were much different than what was portrayed at times," Waddell said as per a report from TSN.

The restriction fueled offseason trade speculation about where he might eventually land. Waddell said a subsequent meeting removed any doubt about where Werenski's priorities lie.

"I [then] had a great meeting with him where he said that he's been here 10 years and he wants to see the team back in the playoffs and he's fully committed here," he said per TSN. "What the future holds, we'll figure that out when the time comes. But for now, he’s very excited about staying here and taking this team where we need to get back to, the playoffs.”

This is confirmation that there is no rift between him and the organization while moving into the next season. Werenski has a full no-movement clause, and he used it to block the trade move before it moved further.

With Zach Werenski staying, the captaincy decision looms

With Werenski fully recommitted to Columbus, the attention has turned to who will be next in line. After Captain Boone Jenner left for the Washington Capitals in free agency, the team is still in search of a trustworthy name.

Werenski, the alternate captain since 2021-22, had been viewed as the natural fit. And NHL insider Elliotte Friedman also spoke on this on the July 6 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.

"I think the plan was always to make Zach Werenski the next captain," the analyst said. "What are you gonna do now, are you still gonna do it, or are you gonna kind of wait to see how it plays out?"

Friedman also talked about the recent trade speculation, which may still affect the timing of that decision. This goes on even if Werenski confirmed his future in Columbus, which is no longer a question.

He enters the next season freshly coming off right after his Norris Trophy-winning campaign. He scored 81 points, and he sits just 82 points behind Rick Nash's franchise scoring record. Waddell has yet to confirm what decision will be made regarding the captaincy and when.

What are your thoughts on Werenski staying in Columbus? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar