”Oh no, MrSwift is writing the Boone Jenner player review, I’m sure he’s going to dump all over him!”
I can hear it now. But I promise you, I do not come here to dunk on Boone Jenner or inflame arguments about how he played, what he did, what his role should be on a successful team, etc. Battle lines have been drawn, endless arguments foisted in comments and articles, and no one is changing any minds. Instead, I am here to merely remark on the season that was for the Blue Jackets captain. The very good, the not so great, and the impossible situation he was put in.
As we all saw with the great Johnny Gaudreau Review Comments of Earlier This Week, folks have a LOT of feeling around Jenner. He’s been a solid center option, he’s undoubtedly good at faceoffs (and should probably be teaching Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson the finer points), his five on five playmaking isn’t where we’d like to see for his deployment (6 total 5v5 assists this season), his style is a clash with some of the flashier players (the Russian line, for example) – there’s room for nuance when reviewing the team’s captain after the season he had.
Fact: Boone Jenner scores the greasy net-front goals NHL teams need – how often in these Stanley Cup playoffs have goals 5 feet from the net been critical? They’re what Zach Hyman crushed the LA Kings with.
Fact: Boone Jenner is not a dynamic passer, particularly at 5v5. In a league where passing quickly and making quick decisions with the puck, especially on the power play, is becoming more critical to success, Boone Jenner is not suited to this specific type of role – playing the bumper or being asked to shoulder a speedy/up and down the ice line that looks to transition quickly. It’s simply not his game. That’s okay.
Fact: Faceoffs are not as valued as they were previous to the analytics movement, but they do still matter. Winning a clutch draw to start overtime or down a goal late matters – Boone was the only regular on the roster to win more than 50% of his draws.
Too often, however, Boone was hampered by the situation he was put in by his coaching staff. 3 on 3 overtime, for example, is a test of skating fluidity, high end offensive zone skill, and puck movement. These are not the hallmarks of Jenner’s game, where scoring greasy goals via rebound is his specialty. Can he help here? Absolutely. Sending Jenner out with Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski to win a faceoff is beneficial – he’s the best faceoff man on the team. But once that faceoff is won, is he a better option in a wide open sheet of ice than a more skilled skater in the format? One can argue he’s not, but the coaching staff too frequently left him out there anyway. Brandon Dubinsky used to be called back to the bench after winning an OT draw when it became clear he wasn’t fast enough for the format – it’s fair to question why Jenner is not as well. It’s not a negative reflection on the player, but an accepting of the reality of the game.
Jenner never complained, never did anything to show that he wasn’t working hard or not giving his all every shift, regardless of the task set to him by the coaching staff. Boone Jenner reminds me of Darlington Nagbe of the Columbus Crew – set the man a task, he’s going to give you every bit of himself to meet that task. Too often however, Pascal Vincent did what Wilfied Nancy does not – he asks Boone Jenner to play outside of himself and extended beyond his role. Jenner is a good captain and can often step beyond for a time to do what it takes in a given moment for the club.
Too frequently he is asked to do too much. That’s not his fault, and cannot be held against him. He did what he was asked more often than not. He was, too often, put in an impossible situation and asked to do too much beyond himself by those tasked with knowing the roster, player limitations, and the best role for all. That does not fall on the player.
2023-24 Stats
Games: 58
Goals: 22
Assists: 13
Points: 35
Plus/Minus: -8
PIM: 28
5v5 Corsi%: 51.7
5v5 Fenwick%: 51.2
Off Zone Start %: 52.3
Contract
Jenner has two years left on a four year deal that carries an AAV of $3.75 million per year. Jenner also has an eight team no trade clause as part of the contract. He will be a UFA following the 2025-26 season, at which point he will be 33 years old.
High Point
In October, Boone Jenner had a hat trick in a home win over the New York Rangers, one of three multi-goal games on the season for the captain. The win was the first for Pascal Vincent as an NHL head coach.
Low Point
For the third straight season, Boone’s year was hampered due to injuries. This season, he broke his jaw in December and missed 15 games. Boone, now 30 years old, has dealt with a broken thumb, back injuries, and a broken jaw in recent years. You feel for a physical player who is too-often injured giving his all for the team.
We here at The Cannon would also like to extend our continued thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to Boone and Maggie Jenner after the loss of their son late in the season. We all express our deepest sympathies and sorrows during this unfathomably difficult tragedy.
Report Card
B- Boone did what was asked of him to the best of his ability when he was in the lineup, but another season hampered by injury and overextended by a coaching staff that over-deployed the player in spots he should not have been ding his overall grade. Jenner did what he could in the impossible role he was asked to play, the captain asked to stretch himself beyond for the good of the team. He should not have been placed in that difficult position in the first place.