Speculation: Armchair GM - 2026 CBJ Offseason Roster Moves, Rumors, and Discussion

[CBJWerenski8]

are there any rumors on who we might be after ? Not really seeing Columbus name anywhere

McCann, Debrusk for trade rumors.

UFA nobody except our own guys

 

[JacketFanInFL]

I could live with McCann and Marchment as a bare minimum for being the last team in the playoffs. Still think we are too unskilled up front.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Some times the best deals end up being the ones you don’t make .. Honestly, it’s frustrating, but in lieu of what we witnessed last night , be glad Don operates in a measured way

i wrote a screenplay about this

INT. NATIONWIDE ARENA OFFICE

ZACH WERENSKI walks toward the door and stops for a second to take it all in, letting out a wistful sigh.​

​

ZACH​

​

Well, it was a good ten years. If only we’d gotten some more good players. Oh well. I’ll miss this place.​

​

He turns off the light and exits. The hum of the air conditioning lingers.​

​

PAN TO: a confused-looking DON WADDELL standing alone in the dark, holding what appears to be a sticky note containing the password to his office computer

DON WADDELL​

​

[sighs] I can’t believe I couldn’t keep him. If only he knew that the best moves, are the ones I didn’t make.​

​

He crumples up the sticky note and throws at the nearest trash can, missing the bucket by a good 8 feet. He sighs again… and retreat back to his office.

Beat​

​

Waddell emerges from his office, head pointed at the ground like Charlie Brown. He trudges to retrieve the sticky note. He has again forgotten his password. Maybe next time he’ll remember it.

​

 

[AnonCommentary]

Marchment feels like Prov repeating

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Marchment feels like Prov repeating

just realized that werenski potentially asking out could lead to provorov also requesting a trade, which solves one problem for me as someone who cannot stand him

silver lining!

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Banana duck]

just realized that werenski potentially asking out could lead to provorov also requesting a trade, which solves one problem for me as someone who cannot stand him

silver lining!

I doubt this one. Provorov doesn’t even seem particularly close to Zach.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

just realized that werenski potentially asking out could lead to provorov also requesting a trade, which solves one problem for me as someone who cannot stand him

silver lining!

Provorov will see Werenski getting traded and say “more ice time for me? Don’t mind if I do.”

He ain’t going anywhere

 

[AnonCommentary]

Obviously hasn’t happened yet but we continue to lag behind in the eastern conference man.

 

[SC Cannon]

i wrote a screenplay about this

INT. NATIONWIDE ARENA OFFICE

ZACH WERENSKI walks toward the door and stops for a second to take it all in, letting out a wistful sigh.​

​

​

ZACH​

​

Well, it was a good ten years. If only we’d gotten some more good players. Oh well. I’ll miss this place.​

​

He turns off the light and exits. The hum of the air conditioning lingers.​

​

PAN TO: a confused-looking DON WADDELL standing alone in the dark, holding what appears to be a sticky note containing the password to his office computer

DON WADDELL​

​

[sighs] I can’t believe I couldn’t keep him. If only he knew that the best moves, are the ones I didn’t make.​

​

He crumples up the sticky note and throws at the nearest trash can, missing the bucket by a good 8 feet. He sighs again… and retreat back to his office.

Beat​

​

Waddell emerges from his office, head pointed at the ground like Charlie Brown. He trudges to retrieve the sticky note. He has again forgotten his password. Maybe next time he’ll remember it.

​

Brother you might need to maybe log off and take a breather for a minute

 

[Palmu]

Don't like the idea of Werenski playing somewhere else, but maybe it would be the best for the franchise. Trade him, Marchenko and Voronkov for picks and prospects. Start a proper rebuild and suck for a few years. Otherwise, we will continue to be the same mediocre team that is barely a playoff team and never gets to draft early. We are in some sort of purgatory.

Also, our prospect pool is quite thin and our young players are not that good. I just don't see us going anywhere in the near future with this group.

Then again, I'm a pessimist.

 

[KJ Dangler]

Marchenko would be quite attractive to them . Robertson is friends with Zach , played for Bowness

 

[Doggy]

Buddy just heard Tuch to Caps

Never mind, see it was posted above

 

[KJ Dangler]

Don't like the idea of Werenski playing somewhere else, but maybe it would be the best for the franchise. Trade him, Marchenko and Voronkov for picks and prospects. Start a proper rebuild and suck for a few years. Otherwise, we will continue to be the same mediocre team that is barely a playoff team and never gets to draft early. We are in some sort of purgatory.

Also, our prospect pool is quite thin and our young players are not that good. I just don't see us going anywhere in the near future with this group.

Then again, I'm a pessimist.

Perspectives can change in a couple months .. I agree that with Jiricek being a massive wiff and Lindstrom having a dismal year , our build looks torpedoed .. If Lindstrom does regain that explosiveness with a summer of strength and conditioning , the outlook is much different .. At this point if Lindstrom doesn’t show major progress starting with development camp here soon , I would lean towards your assessment

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[MFRONE]

Pass on Tuch at that contract

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

So Kyrou, Wilson, Tuch and Leonard down the right-hand side?

 

[CBJWerenski8]

The Caps are so good on paper. They have a ton of pieces all over their lineup and an excellent mix of young and old. A soft reset and struck gold on Strome. Got PLD and Thompson for free basically. Going to be a really good team next year IMO.

 

[AnonCommentary]

tuch is already 30 too man ......

 

[SC Cannon]

tuch is already 30 too man ......

With the cap skyrocketing that number is not THAT crazy. Every year people get sticker shock but that's the way it is.

I remember the reaction when Z signed his deal. Now it looks like a bargain.

Nows the time for teams to big game hunt before the cap slows down again imo.

 

[AnonCommentary]

I’m not paying Tuch that.

 

[majormajor]

The Caps are so good on paper. They have a ton of pieces all over their lineup and an excellent mix of young and old. A soft reset and struck gold on Strome. Got PLD and Thompson for free basically. Going to be a really good team next year IMO.

They've been propped up by Thompson to a great degree. When he's not carrying them, they're bad. Strome and PLD are good value fillers, but they're going to be looking to replace them so they can win in the playoffs.

They will benefit a lot from being movers and shakers. Players want to go to teams like that. I could see them continue to get better.

 

[MissADD]

i wrote a screenplay about this

INT. NATIONWIDE ARENA OFFICE

ZACH WERENSKI walks toward the door and stops for a second to take it all in, letting out a wistful sigh.​

​

​

ZACH​

​

Well, it was a good ten years. If only we’d gotten some more good players. Oh well. I’ll miss this place.​

​

He turns off the light and exits. The hum of the air conditioning lingers.​

​

PAN TO: a confused-looking DON WADDELL standing alone in the dark, holding what appears to be a sticky note containing the password to his office computer

DON WADDELL​

​

[sighs] I can’t believe I couldn’t keep him. If only he knew that the best moves, are the ones I didn’t make.​

​

He crumples up the sticky note and throws at the nearest trash can, missing the bucket by a good 8 feet. He sighs again… and retreat back to his office.

Beat​

​

Waddell emerges from his office, head pointed at the ground like Charlie Brown. He trudges to retrieve the sticky note. He has again forgotten his password. Maybe next time he’ll remember it.

​

Ok we get it. You think Waddell is a joke, a failure and the worst GM of all time because *checks notes* in 2 season he didn't turn a 66 point, 4th worst team in the NHL into a Stanley Cup contender. The horror. Its amazing the team is where the team is. Before the puck dropped on the 1st inter squad scrimmage he lost what was going to a player the offense was going to build around. That team could have finished dead last in the NHL and no would have been shocked after that off season. Then last off season he didn't pull the trigger on a trade because he didn't like what he had to give up, something a majority of fans liked. Stop with the nonsense. He is not perfect. No GM is. But I am certain that the nerd you want the FO to hire would not have gotten the team to this point with how everything started.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

They've been propped up by Thompson to a great degree. When he's not carrying them, they're bad. Strome and PLD are good value fillers, but they're going to be looking to replace them so they can win in the playoffs.

They will benefit a lot from being movers and shakers. Players want to go to teams like that. I could see them continue to get better.

Their D does leave a bit to be desired after Chychrun but I do like the forwards a lot.

 

[AnonCommentary]

With the cap skyrocketing that number is not THAT crazy. Every year people get sticker shock but that's the way it is.

I remember the reaction when Z signed his deal. Now it looks like a bargain.

Nows the time for teams to big game hunt before the cap slows down again imo.

I would not pay him that