Zach Werenski trade talk has hit a fever pitch, and it feels inevitable that the 2025-26 Norris Trophy winner will be on the move this offseason. The only real question at this point is where.
Most immediately assume the Team USA Olympic gold medalist would want to stay south of the border, but it’s sounding like if he were to head north, the one place he’d be open to going is Toronto. TSN insider Pierre LeBrun recently included the Maple Leafs as a team Werenski may consider during this process.
LeBrun wrote in an article for The Athletic:
“The one Canadian team that the Team USA Olympic gold medal winner might consider, by the way, is the Toronto Maple Leafs,”
“Actually I can add to Werenski. So what I was told today, and I think this is via Elliotte, he really only wants to go to the Leafs and play with Auston Matthews, so they’re (the Flyers) not going to get him,”
The 28-year-old Werenski has two years remaining on the six-year, $57.5 million contract extension he signed with the Blue Jackets in 2021. He put up 81 points (22 goals, 49 assists) in 75 games played last season.
It’s difficult to handicap just how realistic the chances of Werenski landing in Toronto are, but his connection with Auston Matthews is real, and where there’s smoke, there’s often fire.
A trade return would undoubtedly be hefty and would almost certainly need to include young star winger Matthew Knies. That said, if the Maple Leafs are set on making a quick return to contention during the primes of Matthews and William Nylander, it’s a move they have to seriously consider.
