Boone Jenner will miss some time, what does this mean for the Blue Jackets going forward?

Earlier today, head coach Dean Evason reported that Boone Jenner will be out "beyond short-term". This comes after he left last night's game against the Kraken early in the second period with an upper-body injury.

Jenner, who has served as Columbus' captain since 2021, has floated around the middle six in the lineup and has three goals and seven assists through 16 games this season.

It was looking like another productive season from Boone, as he is currently fourth on the team in expected goals created and has 30 hits, ranking him third on the team, according to MoneyPuck.

While Boone's offense may be replaceable, his leadership both on and off the ice is not. Especially with fellow veteran Erik Gudbranson missing an extended period of time, the Blue Jackets are going to need players to step up in the locker room.

As for the lineup, it appears that Luca del bel Belluz may be filling in for Boone on the second line for now; at least that's the indication from the Blue Jackets' practice today, with Luca skating alongside Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson.

Although the del bel Belluz - Monahan - Johnson line is listed as the top line, we've seen the deployment of the forward lines change throughout the game, and I would expect the second line here to continue to see the most ice time.

This injury comes at a bad time for the Blue Jackets, who have been craving consistency from all four lines, and now another shakeup will only make things harder on the forward group. The new lineup will face their first tonight against the Oilers in Columbus.

We have been here before.

It's also another heartbreaking blow for Boone Jenner, who only played 26 games last year after missing the majority of the season due to a shoulder injury sustained in practice.

He's also had a plethora of minor injuries in the last few years, as he hasn't played in 70+ games since the 2019-20 season. With this now being his second major injury in two years, it's another tough break for one of the the Blue Jackets' most likeable players.

While the current reports haven't been detailed enough to predict an exact timetable on Jenner's return, the Blue Jackets will still need to find their footing without their leader for the foreseeable future.