According to reports late Tuesday night, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski turned down a trade that would've sent the reigning Norris winner to the Dallas Stars.
Darren Dreger reported that his preference is to stay in the East. No, It's not Werenski's job to get a good return from the other teams, but this isn't a good look.
Elliotte Friedman also confirmed that the team he nixed the trade to was the Dallas Stars, and Thomas Harley was the player to be sent to the CBJ. The trade was agreed to on Monday, but vetoed on Tuesday night.
Zach Werenski cannot stay a Columbus Blue Jacket one day longer.
That seriously hampers Don Waddell's attempts to get a fair return for Werenski. Many people, including us, thought that the Dallas Stars were the CBJ's best chance to land an NHL player, plus prospects.
There are still other options for Waddell, as almost every team in the Eastern Conference would surely be interested in Werenski's services.
Rejecting a trade does nothing but tarnish the legacy of a player who is thought to be the greatest in franchise history. There's no doubt that he will get a heavy dose of boo's when he returns to Nationwide Arena for the first time. Even if he somehow isn't traded this summer, there's no way he's not given a shower of boo's and choice words from a fanbase that is beaten down and tired. It's sad, really.
This isn't going to end well for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and that's what makes this situation so bad. Both the team and Werenski were thrust into this situation by a national media that seemed hellbent on getting Werenski out of Columbus.
To our knowledge, the meeting between Waddell and Werenski hasn't even happened, yet here we are discussing blocked trades and tarnished legacies.
I'm sure Werenski doesn't want to be an enemy to the fans of Columbus or the franchise, but that's exactly what's happening.
In the end, the team has no one to blame but itself for failing to put a winner around the franchise player, and this isn't the first time. *See Rick Nash.
THN Columbus will keep you updated as the situation evolves.
Next Up For Columbus: Free Agency starts on July 1st. Will the CBJ be players?
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