The face of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization has changed dramatically lately, but star defenseman Zach Werenski believes in his future.
That’s one of the reasons he signed a good six-season contract extension on Thursday that will net him an average of $ 9.583 million annually.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” he told NHL.com. That’s why I wanted to sit down and wait and see what was going to happen. I liked their top pick, Kent Johnson. I continued to watch and hear good things. I saw the trade, the players they brought in, and the plan moving forward in the right way. I want to be a part of it, I believe in this plan and I’m very excited. “
However, in recent years, there has been rather a regression in the performance of the Ohio team. Star players like Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin have in turn left via the free agent market. Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Pierre-Luc Dubois and David Savard were sent to other skies by way of transactions.
Even some players they have acquired in these exchanges are showing reluctance about their future at Columbus, as evidenced by the one-season contract signed by Patrick Laine.
Go forward
Team general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, he said, pulled the trigger at the right time.
“We had a lot of success with the group we had here,” he said. The core we had led us to the playoffs for four years in a row, where we were also successful. We didn’t have a parade here though, so we needed a change. Sometimes these are tough decisions emotionally because we have to part with players who were part of the plan. But, to ultimately win, you have to make those tough decisions and that’s what we did. ”
For the Finn, Werenski is a key player in the team and is part of the long run of the concession.
“He’s shown he’s made for an elite National League player and he’s a number one for us,” Kekalainen said of his defenseman. He can continue to grow in this role […]. He played with a broken face and several other injuries, he plays hard every night and I couldn’t have more respect for a player like him. “
The eighth overall pick in the 2015 amateur auction, meanwhile, says the challenge is heightened after his defense partner since joining the pro, Seth Jones, flew to play under the colors of the Chicago Blackhawks.
“He’s one of my best friends,” he said, “of Jones. I wish him the best of luck in Chicago, but I’m ready to prove what I can do without him and that I can be a real number one. I am really excited about this opportunity. ”
So it remains to be seen whether Werenski’s bet will pay off, or whether the Blue Jackets will take another eight years to advance to the playoffs again, as it did when they entered the Tour. Bettman, in 2000-2001.
– .
