Werenski won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL this season after he had 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games while averaging 26:37 of ice time. He has two years left on his contract and cannot sign another deal with Columbus until July 1, 2027.
“I'm as shocked as anyone that this came up,” Bowness said at Blue Jackets development camp. “I mean, at the end-of-the-year meetings, we looked each other in the eye and had great meetings and gave each other a hug leaving, and all that. So, everything was good.
“So, I was a shocked and caught off guard like everyone else. But it is what it is.”
General manager Don Wadell said last week he was planning to meet with Werenski to determine if his star defenseman is committed to staying past his current deal. If Werenski indicates he doesn’t want to stay, he would likely be traded before becoming a free agent.
Werenski turns 29 on July 19.
“I think it's more of, 'Do you want to play here long term?'” Waddell said on June 25. “Obviously, we can't get into contracts because he's still got two years left, but we just want to get a good sense of where he's at and we'll see how that goes and take it from there.”
The Blue Jackets (40-30-12) went 3-9-1 over their last 13 games and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season. After a 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals in their season finale on April 14, Bowness, who replaced Dean Evason as coach on Jan. 13, said if he returned for another season, changes would be made.
“I don’t know if I’m back, but if I’m back, I’m changing this culture,” Bowness said. “Losing is not important enough. It doesn’t bother them. How can you go out and play like that? I should have done this a month ago, but this is why we are where we are. This is why we’re out of the playoffs, that kind of effort.”
