According to multiple reports, 2026 Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski is on the trade block as he's expressed a desire to move on from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Recently crowned the top defenseman in the NHL, Werenski will draw massive interest, but only a handful of landing spots truly make sense.
Werenski is a superstar defenseman at the top of his game, and he will immediately change the outlook of whichever team acquires him. He's now topped 80 points in back-to-back seasons, and the underlying numbers have been spectacular.
Over the last three seasons, the Blue Jackets have had a plus-48 goal differential and a 52.3% expected goals share with Werenski on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. In 2025-26, Columbus was markedly worse with Werenski on the bench.
Goal differentialxG shareWith Werenski
plus-15
55.4%
Without Werenski
minus-3
49.4%
With the NHL salary cap rising sharply each year, more teams will have the room to add Werenski's contract, which has two seasons remaining with an average annual value of $9.5 million. With Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes set to get new deals over the next year, Werenski might even look like a bargain.
Werenski is a rare game-changing defender who can drive play from the back end, and these six teams should be in the thick of trade negotiations.
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San Jose Sharks
Prior to the 2026 NHL Draft, there were rumors that the Sharks would be willing to part with the No. 9 overall pick to acquire an established defenseman. Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was mentioned in connection with San Jose, but frankly, general manager Mike Grier should be thinking bigger. As the newly-crowned Norris Trophy winner and an Olympic gold medalist, Werenski is exactly the type of star the Sharks should be targeting as they ascend to contender status.
Even with a barren blue line and no depth at forward, the Sharks fell just four points shy of a playoff spot last season. Werenski would kill two birds with one stone in that regard. He would give San Jose a bona fide No. 1 defenseman while also giving the offense more firepower -- both at even strength and on the power play. The Sharks have the cap space and the assets to make this happen, and they should be ringing Waddell's phone off the hook.
Detroit Red Wings
What if general manager Steve Yzerman was able to convince captain Dylan Larkin to stick around and create perhaps the most dominant defensive pairing in the NHL at the same time? Acquiring Werenski would be the type of boost that puts Detroit's rebuild over the finish line, and the Wings would have two true No. 1 defensemen in Werenski and Moritz Seider. Meanwhile, Larkin may be more inclined to remain with Detroit if his Team USA teammate and fellow Michigander does so.
Would Detroit be interested in giving up Simon Edvinsson, a young defenseman with a lot of upside, in exchange for a finished product? The Red Wings also have the cap space and draft capital to make this deal work. Yzerman needs to be bold this summer. The recipe is there for a huge move.
Tampa Bay Lightning
After letting Darren Raddysh go in a sign-and-trade with the Maple Leafs, the Lightning have a need on the blue line. Julien BriseBois is one of the most aggressive general managers in the league, and he always seems to be poking around the biggest names on the trade market. Besides, Werenski only costs $1 million more per season than Raddysh, and he's a far more complete player.
The salary cap is a slight issue for Tampa with $13.1 million available prior to free agency, according to PuckPedia. The good news for the Bolts is that the vast majority of their roster is already under contract for the 2026-27 season. BriseBois would only need to make tweaks on the fringes of the roster, and he would have roughly $3.6 million to do it. Tampa might have to move a contract out to swing a Werenski trade, but that's doable.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks need defensive help for two reasons. For one, they were absolutely horrific on their own end last season. Secondly, Anaheim may lose three of its best defensemen with Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas and John Carlson all set to hit free agency. Werenski would upgrade the Ducks' blue line exponentially, but he would do so in a way that gels with the up-tempo attacking style that Joel Quenneville has implemented on offense.
Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier will both receive gargantuan raises this summer, but the Ducks have $44.6 million in cap space. That will give them plenty of breathing room to acquire Werenski and sign their two young superstars. Anaheim has two first-round picks and two second-round picks in last year's draft, and they have a decent prospect pool to pull from. If the Blue Jackets want established NHL players in exchange for Werenski, that could complicate the deal for Anaheim. The Ducks don't have many players in their prime that they would -- or should -- be willing to trade.
Dallas Stars
Dallas is one of the strongest teams in the NHL, but it has struggled to find consistency outside of two or three players on the blue line. Werenski would certainly solve that problem, but he wouldn't come cheap. In fact, it would probably cost the Stars a 24-year-old budding star set to make $10.5 million per season through 2033-34. Thomas Harley alone may not be enough to get the deal done, but the cost might be worth the reward for general manager Jim Nill.
If Harley is included in the deal, Werenski would provide superior defense without sacrificing any offense. Plus, as with the Red Wings and Seider, the opportunity to pair Werenski with another Norris Trophy contender in Miro Heiskanen might be too good to pass up. Coming off a disappointing first-round playoff exit, Dallas needs to stay aggressive in order to maximize its championship window.
New Jersey Devils
As an American, I can admit that a small part of this is fan fiction. Reuniting Werenski and Jack Hughes after their "Golden Goal" heroics would be the cherry on top of this deal, but it makes plenty of sense on paper, too.
It's no secret that New Jersey has an interest in acquiring the third and final Hughes brother, Quinn, at some point over the next year. Whether that happens around the 2027 trade deadline or in free agency next summer, it doesn't matter. Both will be too late. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt are all in their prime, so the Devils can't afford to wait on Quinn to save the day on defense. With Werenski available, New Jersey must strike now to transform itself into a true Cup contender.
In order to pull this off, the Devils would probably also have to move out Dougie Hamilton and his $9 million-per-season contract. Hamilton has a 10-team trade list, which would limit New Jersey's options and create a possible hiccup in negotiations with Columbus. If the Devils can offload Hamilton's contract, however, that would create the flexibility to acquire Werenski and upgrade other parts of the roster.
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