Zach Werenski and Jim Hiller are suddenly in the same Toronto rumor lane, and that is a serious Maple Leafs development.
The spark was the Pierre LeBrun line in the post you shared: the one Canadian team Werenski might consider is Toronto. That does not mean a deal is close, but it does change the board for the Leafs.
That matters because Werenski is not random trade bait. Sportsnet reported Columbus planned to meet with him after the draft to discuss his future, with noise around the defenseman building as trade-request stories keep rolling through the league.
The player profile makes the idea hit hard. Werenski just put up 81 points in 75 games and won the Norris Trophy, which is not the kind of blue-line production teams casually shop for in July.
The contract piece is what gives Toronto a real opening. Werenski has 2 years left on his deal, and Sportsnet noted Columbus cannot extend him until July 1, 2027. That leaves a window for a hard conversation now.
For the Leafs, the fit is obvious. Hiller just took over as Toronto's 41st head coach, and the club still looks like it needs a true No. 1 defenseman more than another small tweak around the edges.
That is why the “only Canadian team” part matters so much. Toronto would not be fighting the same country-based resistance on this file that usually hangs over Canadian clubs chasing elite American stars.
" Pierre LeBrun on Zach Werenski:
"The one Canadian team that the Team USA Olympic gold medal winner might consider, by the way, is the Toronto Maple Leafs."
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The Maple Leafs may have just caught a huge break in the Zach Werenski sweepstakes
Werenski is 28, shoots left, and already has 465 career points in 642 NHL games. That is top-pair résumé work, not projection talk.
The Blue Jackets also are not operating from a weak spot. Rick Bowness is back for 2026-27, and Columbus just finished a strong closing stretch under him, so this is not a team forced into a move.
That means the price would be huge. Toronto would not get Werenski by offering spare parts. A player this good would cost real roster pain, real futures, or both.
Still, the Leafs are one of the few teams where the hockey logic holds up. They need a blue-line anchor, they have been reshaping the roster aggressively, and now there is at least a sign the player would listen.
That is why this rumor sticks. Zach Werenski to Toronto is not being framed as done, but once the Maple Leafs are named as the one Canadian club he might consider, the conversation stops sounding fake.
And for Toronto, that is enough to turn a summer rumor into a real front-office thought. You do not get many chances to chase a Norris winner in his prime.
Should the Maple Leafs pay a massive price for Zach Werenski?
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