Giving up Matthew Knies hurts but Zach Werenski is the one guy who makes you think

With word that Zach Werenski may want out of Columbus, Toronto should jump at that opportunity though it'll cost Matthew Knies and it may be well worth it in the end.

There's been a lot of turnover this offseason so far and we haven't even hit the NHL Draft or July 1's free agency start yet. We've seen Brady Tkachuk traded, we heard that Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and there's still potential to see names like Morgan Rielly, Darnell Nurse, and now we can add one more name to that list.

Zach Werenski is no doubt one of the premier offensive defencemen in the NHL and he just won the Norris Trophy in 2026, in addition to a gold medal in the 2026 Olympics.

He's also stuck on a middling Columbus team, and after seeing his American teammates wanting to head to winners, it sounds like he's in the same boat.

Zach Werenski is thinking of ditching Columbus according to two trusted insiders

Word around the league courtesy Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman show that Werenski isn't exactly happy about his time in Columbus, and is going to be speaking with his agent and the team in order to figure out his future:

There are certainly indications that him and his camp are having conversations about what the future looks like. - Pierre LeBrun

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Friedman backed that up with a report on his 32 Thoughs Podcast:

There's been some noise around Zach Werenski.

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Werenski, 28, had 81 points in 75 games (22 goals, 59 assists) while adding a plus-7, 94 blocks, and 21 power-play points in 26:37 TOI. He is a minutes machine, will play in all aspects of the game, and is one of the best offensive defencemen since coming into the league in 2016-17.

For his career, he has 465 points in 642 games, a plus-11 with 842 blocks and only 164 PIM. He doesn't act undisciplined, he's an incredible playmaker with elite vision, he's got a fantastic shot, and it's not like you're sacrificing defence for the sake of offence.

Werenski on the move? Toronto should move quickly then - and Matthew Knies makes the most sense

If Columbus is going to find themselves handcuffed into a deal, then they very well could dish him off for some pretty impressive assets. He needs to approve a trade, but obviously if he wants out that should be a little easier.

If that's the case and Toronto is on Werenski's list (and could be given Auston Matthews' role as captain) then Toronto shouldn't hesitate to give up Matthew Knies. I know we've made a lot of arguments against trading the young power forward but this is a unique case.

Very rarely would you be able to find such a premium piece available on the market, and Toronto desperately needs to get better. Darren Raddysh is a wonderful start, but adding Werenski would be earth-shattering.

That gives the team two elite offensive weapons in the top-4 and two 20-goal scorers on the blueline. That's nuts, and you could even overload the power-play with Werenski, Raddysh, Matthews, McKenna and Nylander - an all-star team with incredible offensive potential.

But that's going to cost you Matthew Knies at least, and you may as well throw the 2027 first-round pick in there too. Columbus gets a young power forward as a foundational piece for years, rid themselves of Werenski's friction, and open up a litany of space to retool.

It sucks to lose Knies, especially given his unique skillset, age, contract, and genuine love and passion for all things Toronto - they don't make 'em like him anymore.

But then again, Werenski's potential to transform the lineup is also quite unique and while it may be giving up the future, it's certainly improving their chances to win right now.

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Auston Matthews is about to get the one thing he's needed since Mitch Marner left