Zach Werenski has changed his mind: he no longer wants to leave Columbus

For the past few days, Zach Werenski has been the talk of the NHL. The defenseman reportedly told the Blue Jackets that he had no intention of staying in Columbus beyond his current contract, so the team began shopping him around.

And last night, it was reported that the defenseman had turned down an offer that would have sent him to Dallas. On top of all that, there was tension between Werenski and the Blue Jackets.

Everything was going swimmingly… or so it seemed.

But today, we're seeing a rather unexpected turn of events: the Blue Jackets have released two statements in the last few minutes. One is from Don Waddell, while the other is from Zach Werenski.

And what we're learning is that Werenski has finally changed his mind: he no longer wants to leave Columbus.

Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell and All-Star defenseman Zach Werenski have issued the following statements today. pic.twitter.com/xsQc2HyjSV

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 1, 2026

More details to come…