The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that forward Boone Jenner would be out about six weeks to recover from broken finger surgery.
Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner underwent successful surgery today to repair a broken finger and is expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.#CBJ | @Huntington_Bank https://t.co/PLxz4wbR2X
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 7, 2021
Boone Jenner Out Six Weeks
Jenner has had a fairly solid season in a depth role on a below-average Jackets team. He has eight goals and nine assists for a total of 17 points. Outside of his 2015-16 season, Jenner was poised to have an above-average season for his standards. He is currently at 0.41 points per game, which is nothing to scoff at considering his RAPM metrics courtesy of Evolving-Hockey, suggest he should be scoring a bit more.
He has always been a solid depth contributor for the Blue Jackets. Jenner has been a player they can rely on, notching 230 points in 530 career games, all as a Blue Jacket. He was nearly a 50-point player in 2015-16 but fell one assist short of the mark. His 30 goals that season were very impressive, despite not reaching the plateau.
What This Means For The Future
The Jackets’ season has not gone as planned. After acquiring Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets for stud centre and third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Jackets expected a boost in scoring. Instead, Laine has gone cold, scoring one goal in the last fifteen games. Any time a depth scorer like Jenner goes down with an injury, it forces the coach’s hand. It’s tough because the players that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen expected to pan out aren’t doing so. Unless the Jackets make a miracle playoff push, they will most likely stay out of the playoffs. This could mean that Jenner won’t be back until next season.
The timeline is not set in stone, as some players return from surgery quicker than others. However, even if he makes a return, the number of games Jenner participates in will be few. The team will have to make do with the roster they have and hope that Jenner’s recovery goes quicker than expected.
