Zach Werenski and Rick Bowness look set to start the season together after a trade mess spun out fast in Columbus.
That is the big turn from Chris Johnston's latest explanation. What started as an open talk about Werenski's future quickly turned into something much uglier once he believed Columbus was trying to push him toward Dallas.
That detail matters because it changes the feel of the whole story. This was not just a star defenseman waking up and demanding the nearest exit. It was a situation both sides let get away from them.
Werenski had every reason to control the outcome. He owns a full no-move clause, and he used it when the Stars path showed up.
Once that happened, Columbus lost the cleanest lane it had. And once a player blocks one destination, every other team knows the Blue Jackets are the side dealing with the pressure.
The hardest part for Columbus is simple: this is not some replaceable player. Werenski just put up 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points in 75 games, then won the Norris Trophy.
The team context makes it sting more. The Blue Jackets finished 40-30-12 with 92 points, close enough to matter and short enough to leave real frustration around the future.
" Chris Johnston: Re Zach Werenski/Blue Jackets: Both sides felt that everything kind of spiralled quickly there; it started with...an open conversation about...the future; then all of a sudden...he felt the Blue Jackets were trying to force a Dallas trade on him - First Up (7/2) "
-
What really happened with Zach Werenski has finally been revealed by Chris Johnston
That is where this sits now. Johnston's earlier read was that Werenski should still be back to open next season, and this latest update explains why that became possible again after the Dallas push blew up.
The relationship did not completely break. It just got strained in a hurry, which is a lot different from a player flatly deciding he is done no matter what.
There is still a bigger problem waiting. Werenski has 2 years left on his contract, and Columbus still has to prove it can turn a decent team into one worth committing to long term.
That is why this story is not over. Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, and Carolina were all tied to the file when the market got hot, and that kind of interest does not vanish because one trade was blocked.
For now, though, the panic has cooled. Zach Werenski looks far more likely to return to the Blue Jackets than he did a few days ago, and Columbus can thank a reset in communication for that.
Still, the lesson landed hard. The Blue Jackets let a future conversation turn into a trade fight, and when that happens with a Norris winner holding a no-move clause, the player is the one who gets the last word.
Did the Blue Jackets mishandle the Zach Werenski situation?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Chris Johnston's latest update could reshape Dylan Larkin's future in Detroit
