It’s Getting Ugly: Will Werenski Calm Down Enough to be Traded?

Reports on Tuesday confirmed that defenseman Zach Werenski vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars. Apparently, he’s not keen on Dallas, and would prefer Tampa Bay or Toronto. But is that all? Is it about going out west that is bothering Werenski? Or, is something else at play?

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Elliotte Friedman admitted that Werenski’s preference is stay out east, but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes and it’s starting to get ugly. He wrote in a recent article, “One rumour making the rounds Tuesday night is that Werenski’s camp is so upset at recent developments that all trade possibilities will be rejected.”

Friedman believes that part of the reason Werenski didn’t accept a trade to Dallas was out of spite. He’s not going to make things easy for Columbus, as somewhere throughout this process, things got messy.

Friedman explained, “The most important thing is that cooler heads prevail. (I absolutely believe that’s part of what happened with Dallas.) But that might be short-term hot-headedness, as opposed to a realistic long-term outcome. We’ll see.”

Expect the Maple Leafs to Make a Serious Push

It is believed that Toronto will make a run at trying to trade for Werenski. It might not happen on Wednesday, but they’re on the short list with Tampa and they want to make this move.

“I don’t think Toronto will fool around,” said Friedman. “The Maple Leafs will step up and take their swing. (Werenski and wife Odette’s roots are not difficult travel to Toronto, which is believed to be a reason he’d consider the Maple Leafs.)

If Florida and Tampa are willing to trade a legitimate player from their roster, both could be a players.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Devils & Oilers Waiting