Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets Defenseman Worth Maple Leafs’ First-Overall Pick?

Is Zach Werenski worth trading away the first-overall pick for if you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs?

by
Jackson Weber
May 31, 2026

While the Toronto Maple Leafs are apparently open to fielding offers for the first-overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, we all know they would need to be absolutely blown away for anything to even come close to happening.

It’s been over 20 years since the last time we saw the first-overall pick moved, when Florida dealt it to Pittsburgh in 2003, so barring a haul of assets or a legitimate superstar coming back to Toronto, expect them to make the selection.

That being said, given that the possibility of a trade remains slightly open, chatter will continue to swirl. As a result, Jesse Blake of SDPN Sports recently proposed a deal that would land the Maple Leafs a superstar in return for the pick, and that’s Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Blake said:

“If you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs, are you trading the number one overall pick to Columbus for Zach Werenski and the 14th overall pick… He’s not eligible to sign an extension. He’s in a position like Quinn Hughes. You’re getting two years of Werenski, that’s what you’re trading for right… What’s your answer? I also say no,”

The 28-year-old Werenski is about to enter year five of the six-year, $57.5 million extension he signed with the Blue Jackets in 2021, eligible for a new deal come July 1, 2027. He racked up 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games played last season.

Zach Werenski Worth the First-Overall Pick?

Toronto has, quite frankly, never had a defenseman the caliber of Werenski, and he would immediately change the outlook of the blue line as a bona fide number one, point-per-game superstar on the back end.

Do the Maple Leafs feel as if they’re close enough to contending with this core to pull off such a bold move? That’s the big question in this scenario, though if the goal remains a quick return to contention led by Auston Matthews and William Nylander, then it’s certainly worth considering.

The odds of this kind of blockbuster coming to fruition are slim, but if there is any way that Toronto does deal the first-overall pick, then Werenski is exactly the type of player they should be targeting in return.

Next: Insider Claims Oilers Still Looking Into Olympic Goaltender Trade