The Dylan Larkin situation just got more uncomfortable for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Don Waddell knows it.
Zach Werenski hasn't asked for a trade yet. That much is clear right now.
But the Blue Jackets' alternate captain is close friends with Larkin, a former Olympic teammate who reportedly wants out of wherever he lands next. That kind of ripple doesn't stay quiet.
Werenski carries a $9,583,333 cap hit and ranks fifth among all NHL defensemen in salary. He is not a depth piece. He is the franchise's best blueliner, the engine of the Columbus power play.
Columbus finished this past season at 40-30-12 for 92 points, went 2-7-1 in their final 10 games, and ended the year with a goal differential of exactly zero. That is not a Stanley Cup contender. That is a team treading water.
The Blue Jackets closed the regular season by losing their last two, including a 1-2 defeat to Washington on April 14.
Rick Bowness and the pressure to prove Columbus is actually building something
Rick Bowness took over behind the Columbus bench in January 2026, and the results didn't exactly inspire. The question now is whether the new structure he brings next fall is enough to convince a $9.5-million defenseman that this is worth sticking around for.
Think of it this way: Werenski is a premium blueliner watching a close friend wave his way out of the league while his own team finishes with the same number of goals scored as goals allowed. That is not exactly a recruiting pitch.
Werenski still has two years left on his deal. He does not need to force anything today. But two years in the NHL is a very short runway.
What Columbus owes him, more than anything, is a real off-season. Real additions. Real signs that 2026-27 looks different than this year did. Because if the Blue Jackets stumble out of the gate again next fall, this conversation shifts from a rumor to a real request very quickly.
-
Don Waddell built this roster to compete. The problem is it hasn't. At some point, Werenski has to ask himself how much longer he is willing to wait.
Should the Blue Jackets trade Zach Werenski this summer before he walks for nothing?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
A trade has just been announced involving Sidney Crosby's Penguins