After a whirlwind week that left a lot of doubt in the air, Zach Werenski finally broke his silence this evening. In a joint statement with the Blue Jackets, the Norris Trophy winning defenseman put a lot of minds at ease.
"I want to win and I want to do that in Columbus."Zach Werenski
Finally, we get an answer from the player himself. If only we could have heard this a week ago. Or any time before the NHL Draft, ideally.
But, it's better late than never. The last thing this fanbase needed was to be left hanging in the air all summer. The last week has been hard enough on all of us, including GM Don Waddell. He also had some promising words in the statement.
"After some time and discussions with his family, Zach informed us that he didn’t want to leave Columbus. "Don Waddell
That sure seems like a lot more than just posturing from these two. While it is still possible that there is an eventual split coming, at least for the time being, everyone seems to be on the same page. And, the best news to come out of this would be Werenski continuing his career in Columbus, where he belongs.
Time mends fences.
At the very least, both sides coming together and making this statement will buy time for cooler heads to prevail. The Blue Jackets were not going to get fair market value in any Werenski trade-especially with the Dallas option off the board.
Hopefully, both Waddell and Werenski will take some time to reflect on everything that happened, and work to rebuild their relationship before next season. I believe there were mistakes made on both sides, and that both sides regret the situation coming to a head like it did.
It will take time. But, it's better that it happened now, early in the offseason. Everyone can settle into a nice summer vacation and come back ready to get back to work in the fall.
I'm glad there seems to be a path forward. Zach Werenski should be a Blue Jacket for his entire career.
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