Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner News Hints at Season Outlook

The Columbus Blue Jackets will finally make their 2024-25 NHL season debut with a road matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets are forced to open the year without captain Boone Jenner, who was placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury earlier this week.

It's never good when a player lands on the IR, especially when it's a team's captain. Naturally, Columbus fans have been wondering when they can expect to see Jenner back in the lineup.

If the latest news is anything to judge, that might not be for a while.

On Thursday, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced that Jenner had successfully undergone shoulder surgery, per The Athletic's Michael Russo . When asked about a potential return, Waddell said the Columbus captain could be sidelined for up to five months.

The Blue Jackets GM also described the injury as being "really freaky" and "very disappointing."

The Blue Jackets will feel Jenner's absence regardless of how long he's out of the lineup. The 31-year-old forward was named the franchise's seventh captain back in October 2021 and has since constantly made his presence felt both on and off the ice.

The Blue Jackets are projected to be one of the NHL's worst teams this season and could struggle to score even more without their captain. The former 2011 second-rounder has scored at least 20 goals in three consecutive seasons and ranked second on the team with 22 goals in 58 games during the 2023-24 campaign.

With Jenner watching from the team's press box, alternate captains Zach Werenski, Erik Gudbranson and Sean Kuraly will handle the Blue Jackets' leadership duties. Elite Prospects lists Columbus as having the least NHL experience out of all 32 franchises this season , meaning the veteran trio must find a way to lead by example.

History shows that the Blue Jackets will need all the help they can get to defeat the Wild tonight. After all, Columbus has only won three of 11 matchups against Minnesota since January 2018.