Maple Leafs Have a Shot: Werenski the Game-Changer Toronto Needs – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent years searching for the kind of elite, top-pairing defenceman capable of changing the identity of a franchise. If the rumor mill is to be believed, the answer might be wearing a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey. Interestingly, he might not be wearing it for much longer.

Zach Werenski On the Trade Block

Reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski is reportedly at the center of one of the most significant trade conversations of the 2026 offseason. Word out of Columbus is that he’s not likely to re-sign after his contract expires, and the Blue Jackets are listening to trade offers from teams that want to get in on the discussion.

At least a dozen teams will jump all over this.

That leaves three options for GM Don Waddell as he figures out what to do here. The Blue Jackets can try to trade him this summer to get the best possible return. The Blue Jackets can wait a year and trade him before he’s able to walk as a free agent. They can hold onto him, try to compete, and let him head to the open market.

There’s no way anyone gets to option three, and the first option seems the most logical. And there are already teams checking in. The Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks have called.

Maple Leafs in the Mix?

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Toronto is also in the picture. He writes:

“It might be easier to report the teams that won’t pick up the phone rather than the interest that’s already out there. My understanding is that eight to 10 teams have already called the Blue Jackets. You can absolutely count the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Hurricanes among the early teams with interest. The Stars’ and Flyers’ interest I would describe as keen. The one Canadian team that the Team USA Olympic gold medal winner might consider, by the way, is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Again, we’re going to get to at least a dozen teams by the end of this thing for sure.”

source – ‘Zach Werenski trade rumblings: 3 options for the Blue Jackets, early suitors and what’s next’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 06/27/2026

For a player who helped the United States win Olympic gold in February and was named the NHL’s best defenceman this past season, this is a little surprising. Typically, these Team USA players have tried to avoid Canada. And, it’s not as though the Maple Leafs scream contender.

Still, LeBrun isn’t the only insider to report this. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta added while on Leafs Morning Take: “There’s been no indication that he doesn’t like it there. I think he just wants to understand the direction of the team.”

Werenski Would Be a Game-Changer for Toronto

Since the start of the 2023–24 campaign, Werenski has put up 56 goals and 220 points in 226 games, averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time per night. Only Cale Makar, Evan Bouchard, and Quinn Hughes have scored more in that span. He’s not just a good defenceman — this past season, he ranked as the very best in the league.

This generation of the Maple Leafs has never had a defenseman of his caliber. Perhaps they’ve never had anyone this good…ever.

For Toronto, the timing could not be more convenient. The Maple Leafs currently have over $22 million in projected cap space heading into 2026–27, giving new GM John Chayka the financial flexibility to absorb his cap hit and offer up a competitive package of players, picks, and prospects.

The Leafs are also in the process of overhauling a significant chunk of their defense, with Morgan Rielly potentially on his way out of town and Darren Raddysh having already been added. If the Blue Jackets want NHL players in return (as has been reported), Rielly could be part of the deal. He might not approve a move to the Blue Jackets, but if a third team gets involved and flips him to a Western Conference contender, this could work.

That said, Rielly doesn’t move the needle here. There’s a lot more that would have to be involved. Matthew Knies is the more logical starting point for any discussion. He could be someone Waddell is interested in. Still, that’s not enough.

Jonas Siegel of The Athletic writes:

“The Leafs could start by adding the first-round pick in next year’s draft that they got back from Colorado for Nic Roy. Another one of their top young players — Easton Cowan or Ben Danford — would likely need to be included too. Do the Blue Jackets insist on both? And if so, is that too much for the Leafs: Knies, Cowan, Danford and a 2027 first-round pick?”

source – ‘Can the Maple Leafs make a play for Zach Werenski?’ – Jonas Siegel – The Athletic – 06/27/2026

The cost will be steep. The Quinn Hughes trade to Minnesota is the most recent benchmark, and Columbus will demand a comparable haul. But for a team that finally has the cap room, the assets, and a franchise core still worth building around in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, it’s worth the Leafs kicking tires.