Werenski’s Message to Columbus Also Sends One to Toronto – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski took under 20 minutes on Thursday to make his message clear. While speaking with the local media, he said several things that indicated he has no desire to leave the Columbus Blue Jackets, which, in turn, means there’s almost zero chance he’s coming to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I want to win. I want to win here in Columbus, and that’s all I’m focused on,” he said. He noted he’s had great conversations with Don Waddell (GM) all summer and he’s excited about the team they have.

Blue Jackets Are Keeping Their Superstar

Any lingering hope Toronto fans might have had that the Maple Leafs could still land the Norris Trophy winner felt considerably more like fantasy than reality after Werenski was done talking.

In the end, everything that was speculated this summer turned out to be chatter. Yes, Columbus came up short of the playoffs again, and it seems like frustration boiled over. However, a simple lack of confirmation that he was a lock to sign an extension set off a snowball that rolled downhill. That included chatter that Werenski had let it be known that Tampa Bay and Toronto were teams he’d be willing to go to if a trade ever materialized.

Some reports suggested it very nearly did — Columbus and Dallas had a verbal agreement centered on Thomas Harley, and the Leafs reportedly pushed hard on their own, putting together a package centered on Matthew Knies and defense prospect Ben Danford. But when it started to feel like a trade was actually going to happen and the Blue Jackets were willing, Werenski went into damage-control mode, and the whole thing died on the vine.

A statement was released saying he was staying with the Blue Jackets. Then on Thursday, he doubled down. “I think my statement is exactly how I feel. I want to win. I want to win here in Columbus, and that’s all I’m focused on.”

Does Toronto Have Any Hope?

For now, the Maple Leafs (and any other team) are out. Werenski is singularly focused on making it work with the Blue Jackets. He wanted that to be clear in his messaging. In a season or two? Who knows.

“Winning solves everything, and that’s where we have to get to as a club. We have to raise our standards and expectations, and that starts with myself. I fully plan on doing that this year and being an even better player, a better leader. And, hopefully, that just means I’m here even longer.”

For any Maple Leafs fans who refused to give up hope, this is where a crack in the foundation of his comments would appear. If Columbus doesn’t win, he might shift his thinking since it’s a priority.

For now, Thursday was the cleanup needed to wipe away any confusion about how he feels today. And, he’s not looking to stir up more drama or take part in letting speculation grow as the season rolls along.

He noted, “I think for me, I realized how crazy social media can be. I read it. I see it. A lot of times it’s about other guys and other trades, and free agency and all that stuff, but until it’s actually about you and you’re reading stuff for the first time that you’ve never heard about, it can get a little crazy. And I took a step away from it. I just feel like I’m in a really good spot mentally right now.”

He didn’t like seeing or hearing about the stuff people were talking about. It was enough for him to turn it all off and walk away.

The Maple Leafs Should Probably Focus on Something Else

For Toronto, none of this is a total shock. The second Werenski told Don Waddell he didn’t want to leave, and Waddell’s own statement was released, a possible trade became a non-story. But Thursday matters because it was Werenski himself who said this would be the only time he addresses it publicly, which suggests he wants the noise to stop as much as the fans do.

Now that the smoke has cleared, it’s been said: Werenski is staying in Columbus. He’s got no intention of leaving, and any speculation he might be open to a trade, including one with the Toronto Maple Leafs, is off the table.