NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On The Blue Jackets And Penguins

Entering this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets hoped to put an off-season of turmoil behind them. Instead, they find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Blue Jackets swung a blockbuster trade before the regular season opened, shipping winger Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs for power forward Matthew Knies in a six-player deal. However, that move has done little to improve the team's fortunes.

Trade speculation has already started swirling around the Blue Jackets. We noted last week that winger Dmitri Voronkov is the latest player to appear in the rumor mill.

Sportsnet's Michael Amato noted the recent media chatter about Voronkov. He also wondered how another lost season might affect the Blue Jackets' efforts to convince Zach Werenski to stick around.

The 29-year-old defenseman and reigning Norris Trophy winner surfaced in trade rumors in late June amid reports he was considering his options. General manager Don Waddell reportedly had a deal in place that would’ve shipped him to the Dallas Stars until he and Werenski released a joint statement reiterating the blueliner’s commitment to the Blue Jackets.

Werenski is signed through 2027-28 and can sign an extension next summer, but Amato believes the Blue Jackets are running out of time to convince him to do so.

Another season outside the playoff picture could make Werenski the subject of growing media chatter before the March 1 trade deadline. He could approach Waddell before then and ask to be moved to a contender.

For now, there's no indication that Werenski will go that route. But the longer the Blue Jackets remain a bottom feeder, the more likely he'll pop up in the rumor mill.

Turning to the Pittsburgh Penguins, we noted that Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last week that they were willing to move a veteran forward for draft picks and prospects. We speculated that Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust were the likely candidates.

TSN's Darren Dreger followed up last Thursday, indicating that Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was interested in entertaining offers for Rakell and Rust. He also said that Dubas was listening to offers for veteran defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang.

All but Rust have some form of no-trade protection, and all but Karlsson are signed through 2027-28. Karlsson's UFA eligibility next summer makes him the most likely to be shopped if the Penguins are out of contention by the trade deadline.

The 36-year-old Karlsson is on a point-per-game pace and could draw plenty of interest from contenders seeking an experienced puck-moving defenseman. However, he has a $10 million cap hit for this season, while his no-movement clause gives him full control over this situation.

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