Werenski says ‘Columbus is where I want to be’ after offseason trade chatter

LAS VEGAS -- Zach Werenski stressed his desire to stay in Columbus for a long time, his excitement for the upcoming season, and his belief in the Columbus Blue Jackets during a wide-ranging interview with NHL.com at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday.

Werenski, last season's Norris Trophy winner as the League's best defenseman, said he hopes to be in position to sign a new contract with the Blue Jackets next summer so he can continue to build a winning tradition in Columbus that he expects will take root this season.

He has two years remaining on a six-year, $57.5 million contract he signed July 29, 2021.

He will be eligible to sign a new contract with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2027.

"I mean, I think we're going to be in a good spot this year where people aren't questioning what's going to happen (with me) because I believe we're a playoff team," Werenski said. "But I can't extend until next summer anyways, so I guess it'll always be out there until an extension is signed and I'm ready for that. Hopefully when I'm eligible one gets done, but until then I'm just focused on playing in Columbus and helping this team get to the playoffs, where I think we should be."

Werenski talked about how he got past the tumultuous time earlier in the offseason when reports surfaced claiming he was unhappy about the state of the Blue Jackets, the team having missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs six straight seasons, and that he would not sign a contract extension when he becomes eligible to do so next summer.

There were reports indicating that he asked for a trade, and the Blue Jackets even had a deal worked out to send Werenski to the Dallas Stars on June 30. The defenseman vetoed the trade, and the next day he and general manager Don Waddell issued statements about Werenski's desire to stay in Columbus.

"I feel like it just got off the rails a little bit so I called Don one day and I was like, 'We need to get this back on the rails. I want to be here. This is where I want to be. I want to win here,' " Werenski said. "I was like, 'We've got to say something here to get this back on the rails.'

"It was just crazy and I think for me it just reassured that Columbus is where I want to be," he later added. "When all that stuff was swirling I knew I wanted to be a Blue Jacket, I wanted to win here and I believe in our group. It was just a lot of madness, a lot of craziness, a lot of stuff that I didn't know that I was reading about me. But I think deep down it really proved to me that Columbus is where I want to play, where I want to win and where I want to be for a long time, and this is the group I want to win with."

Werenski said he never had to mend his relationship with the team or Waddell because it was never broken.

"Don and I have a great relationship," he said. "I have a ton of trust in Don. I talked to him all the time this summer before all that was going on and after that was going on. I have a great relationship with him. We have open communication. We talk all the time. That's why I felt like it was easy for me to shoot him a text and say, 'Let's hop on a quick call here because we've got to get this back on the rails.' "

Werenski is entering his 11th season in Columbus. He said watching the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup last season reaffirmed his desire to win with the only NHL team he has ever played for rather than leaving to try to chase the Cup elsewhere.

"I see (Jaccob) Slavin and (Sebastian) Aho and (Andrei) Svechnikov and (Jordan) Martinook and (Jordan) Staal -- granted they made the playoffs for a bunch of years before they reached the ultimate goal, but they built something and they stayed through it all and kept working, kept working, finally got over the hump and they're Stanley Cup champions," Werenski said. "Winning the Cup has got to be the greatest feeling, but doing it that way has got to be an even better feeling; doing it together as a group that's been together for a long time."

Werenski said he, Waddell and coach Rick Bowness are on the same page with training camp on the horizon. He also said he understands now more than ever the power of his words and the importance of communication.

He knows fans and media might continue to question his desire to stay in Columbus and his belief in the organization if the Blue Jackets miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season. But he stressed how that's out of his control and not something he's worried about.

"When there was even a shadow of doubt that I might not be in Columbus I was like, 'That's not happening, I'm playing in Columbus,' " Werenski said. "It cemented my belief I guess even more that this is where I want to be, this is where I want to play, this is where I want to win."