The Zach Werenski saga seems to be over for now, and it opens up a debate about just how much better he is than the rest of the defensemen in his division.
Werenski is the only defender from the Metropolitan Division to be a Norris Trophy finalist since 2022-23, and the only winner since 2021. (Erik Karlsson, who's now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, won it in 2023 as well, but he was still on the San Jose Sharks at that point.)
So while Werenski reigns supreme atop the Metro's blue liners, there's a sizable battle playing out below him to be among the very best at the position. It might become even more heated if Werenski gets moved at some point before the trade deadline.
Based on what we know right now, here are the projected top three defensemen in the Metropolitan Division for the 2026-27 season:
1. ZACH WERENSKI, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Not only is Werenski the best defenseman in his division by a wide margin, but he might also be its best overall skater at this point in his career.
He was second in Norris voting two years ago and won it this year, and because his team overperformed very meager expectations, he finished seventh in Hart voting both times. His 163 points over the last two years are the same number as William Nylander (tied for 21st league-wide) and trail only Cale Makar at the position.
Werenski also plays more minutes per night, nearly 27:00, than anyone besides Quinn Hughes. When he's on the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets look playoff-competitive. When he's off, they look like a lottery team.
It's a herculean effort, and he keeps excelling at it.
But that's ultimately the issue. He wants to win, and he's just not likely to do it in Columbus; he was nearly traded to the Dallas Stars earlier in the off-season for that reason. But he's giving the Blue Jackets one more chance to prove they can be competitive when he's off the ice.
Therefore, he may not remain the top defenseman in the Metro for much longer, but as it stands today, he is, and there's not a close second.
2. MATTHEW SCHAEFER, NEW YORK ISLANDERS
What can you say about Matthew Schaefer that hasn't already been said?
He exploded onto the scene as an extremely young 18-year-old and racked up the following acclaim.
He won the Calder Trophy comfortably, the first unanimous winner in more than three decades. He finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting and 16th in Hart Trophy voting. He finished with 23 goals, tied for the most ever by a rookie defenseman, with Brian Leetch.
He's likely to become the New York Islanders’ captain and has, in many ways, become such a reliable"face of the franchise" type of player that the league used him as a broadcaster during the draft.
On top of all that, he took an Islanders team that was absolutely in the mud before he arrived to within a few games of the playoffs. With an excellent new coach hired at the end of last season now in the fold, the"Islanders playoffs" discussion is one that has to be had.
To say the sky is the limit for this kid might be underselling it. He doesn't have the track record that Werenski has because he won't turn 19 until Labor Day weekend, but if his second season is anything like his first, we're looking at one of the most impactful players in the league.
3. ERIK KARLSSON, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Karlsson is a first-ballot Hall of Famer (his three career Norris Trophies tie him for fifth all-time) and got back into that conversation again this past season with a stellar offensive output that helped power the Penguins to unexpected success.
This was spurred, in large part, by Kris Letang's ongoing decline. The long-time Penguin had his minutes decline by nearly two per night, while Karlsson's increased by 32 seconds, and in particular, that difference seems to have mostly been made up on the power play.
Production is a big part of what has always made Karlsson so valuable; he's only the sixth defenseman in league history to clear 100 points in a season, and taking the ball out of Letang's hands allowed him to step up in a big way.
It remains to be seen whether the Penguins can replicate the regular-season success they enjoyed last season. But if they take a step back, it doesn't feel like Karlsson will be the problem.