In the middle of the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, a little bit of a miniature bombshell was dropped by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. The NHL insider has been all over the Zach Werenski story over there for the Columbus Blue Jackets and he just decided to put out a list of teams who are almost certainly going to call if the reigning Norris Trophy winner is available in a trade.
While it is expected that the true Stanley Cup contenders who could certainly use a No. 1 defenseman like Werenski, will inquire and be all over him if Columbus sends him out there to shop himself and pick and choose what team he wants to go to, there was a surprise entrant in the first list of teams that will be trying to pry Werenski from the Blue Jackets.
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly going to try and get Werenski.
Flyers named as early trade destination for Zach Werenski
It is extremely early and so much more has to happen, but as LeBrun put in his tweet on Friday night, there are three specific teams who are going to be on the hunt for Werenski.
LeBrun also mentions the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes as potential suitors for Werenski. And of course those are the teams that should be considered the frontrunners — but to throw in the Flyers among those types of teams really tends to raise some eyebrows. This isn’t just seeing Philadelphia in this list with roughly half of the NHL and going “Yeah, of course they’re going to make a call but no way is there something here”. This makes it feel like a much bigger deal and something maybe more realistic to happen.
Werenski has two years remaining on his contract that carries a $9.583-million AAV. He also has a full no-movement clause through next season and it then goes down to him giving a 10-team trade list to Columbus during the final year of his deal. With all the reporting that is going on, he is almost certainly not going to wait around and play his entire season for the Blue Jackets next year and it feels that he is likely to be dealt this summer.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said last week that he and Werenski will be meeting sometime after the NHL Draft to figure it all out and what his future holds.
“There are some matters we’re dealing with that should probably stay internal. My plan is still to meet with Zach in the near future and see where he’s at,” Waddell told reporters last Thursday. ”We’ve had some conversations with his agent, but there’s been no definitive plan.”
Werenski, famously, is now part of this group of gold medal-winning Team USA members who have decided that enough is enough and one little taste of success is all they needed to then want to move to a team who could actually win something. Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk are the two most obvious examples right now — one got their trade and the other is currently waiting to see what happens next — but now Werenski really adds something special to the trade boards.
The main concern is whether or not Werenski would even waive his no-movement clause to come to Philadelphia. It’s not like the Flyers, after winning a single playoff series against the terrible Pittsburgh Penguins team, are suddenly going to compete for the Stanley Cup next June. But adding Werenski to this team could get them so much closer to that.
Werenski would be that big swing Flyers want to take
We’ve heard on and on about how the Flyers are just patiently waiting to strike in this perfect scenario. They have some holes of a No. 1 center and a No. 1 defenseman and are just gathering up all of these assets to then send them off when the right player comes along. Whether it is the dream of Auston Matthews wanting out of Toronto, or now Zach Werenski wanting out of Columbus, there seems to be some options to pull off this move.
It’s clear that the Flyers are already calling Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell about Werenski and what exactly he wants for their franchise player. They are trying to make the big swing that we all want them to take.
Maybe it’s not perfect with players like Porter Martone still years away from being in his prime — so does it even make sense to get Werenski for at least two years when the young players on this team haven’t reached their potential? Barring a contract extension, it might not. Or, he just fits into this puzzle so perfectly that the Flyers are winning division titles and we dream of a long period of playoff contention because of these young players continuing to grow.
This is all of course null and void if Werenski doesn’t even want to waive his no-movement clause for the Flyers and allow himself to be leaned on as heavily as he did in Columbus. It might not happen at all, but the Flyers are trying and are now entering their period where they are checking on just about everything and are willing to be aggressive to make this team better.
