An injury suffered in practice before this season even started, derailed things for the captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The fact of the matter is, a healthy Boone Jenner might have changed the fate of the team this season.
Boone suffered a shoulder injury in training camp that would limit him to just 26 games this season. He was very productive despite the missed time, scoring 7 goals and 19 points; despite not making his season debut until February 22nd. Taking that pace out over a full 82 games, he was scoring at a roughly 22 goal, 60 point rate. All with a 52.3% CF rating (5th best on the team).
How much of a difference would that have made? It's hard to say, but it certainly wouldn't have hurt. Especially not when you factor in all of the intangibles here. Boone is one of the hardest working players on the team. He's more than that. His play embodies Columbus Blue Jackets hockey. Boone Jenner is this team's spark, and when he's not around, they just aren't as good.
A top penalty killer, always reliable at the faceoff dot, and a no nonsense guy in front of the net. These were all things that were sorely missed by this young Blue Jackets team as they tried to find their way this season. I would argue that having him in the lineup certainly would have given them a better shot at the playoffs.
It's honestly surprising that when Boone had finally healed and was able to get into the lineup; this team was still sniffing a playoff spot. He does everything this team needs him to do to compete against the best teams in this league.
Unfortunately, that often comes at the expense of his own body. With a history of back problems and countless other ailments, his absence has been felt by this team quite a bit over the years. Boone has not played in a full season since 2016-17. He hasn't reached the 70 game mark since 2019-20; which was the last time they played in the playoffs.
I think there's a direct correlation there. They need their captain to play in the postseason. It's hard to place blame on him because as fans, we want to see the very best he can give on any given night. He's giving us that and even more; which is exactly what's beating him up and costing us the chance to see him play more often. The only good news is that he didn't miss time due to the back this year. It was an awkward fall at practice that kept him out for the first 5 months of the season.
It's hard to grade him because he was limited to such a short season. But, looking only at the games he played in, the grade would be pretty high. Maybe a low "A" grade. I'm inspired to keep him there even with the time missed because of what he brought to the team off the ice. He's their captain. They needed him, and he was there; even though he couldn't take to the ice. The overall closeness of the group speaks to how well he runs this room.
Less can be more.
Moving forward, the Blue Jackets would be best suited to have Boone Jenner back in his more comfortable bottom-six role. With Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli capably holding down the top two center jobs, this is now possible.
Boone can slot into the bottom six with Cole Sillinger and give this team a checking line that will cause big problems for the opposition. I think fewer responsibilities will be better for everyone involved. Playing less should make it easier for the captain to stay healthy. And, the team will be rewarded with what should be much better depth overall.
They are a much better team with him in the lineup. Imagine how much better they will be if he's in the lineup more consistently, in a more suitable role.