Boone Jenner's return to Blue Jackets is in sight, and the timing couldn't be better

COLUMBUS, Ohio The Columbus Blue Jackets have been more tight-lipped than ever about injuries this season not just in noting the specific injury, but in making public a timeline for return but a lot was going on behind the scenes late last week.

By mid-week, the Blue Jackets knew veteran Sean Monahan s injured right wrist was not healing as quickly as theyd hoped and that the possibility of their No.

1 center returning by the end of this month was out of the question.

Hes now likely to return, if all goes well, by mid-to-late March.

Advertisement Thats another huge blow for a club that, despite all expectations, is hovering around a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

But about the same time that Monahans bad news was hitting home, the Blue Jackets received good news concerning another veteran forward.

Captain Boone Jenner , who has been out all season after suffering a shoulder injury at the end of training camp, got a clean bill of health from doctors, allowing him to join the Blue Jackets last Saturday for a morning skate before they played the Los Angeles Kings .

Coach Dean Evason could tell Jenner was fired up, he said, because Jenner was chirping at goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom.

Christmas morning, is how Jenner described being back on the ice with teammates.

Its definitely a big step in the process.

It feels like its been a long, long time, and it has.

Jenner will join the club for a full-blown practice on Tuesday and Wednesday in Nationwide Arena, but will likely be held out of full-contact drills as he works his way back into the lineup, general manager Don Waddell told The Athletic .

To have his presence and his leadership ...

and I mean that on the ice, Evason said.

Hes been in there (the dressing room) the whole time.

Hes talking to guys, hes in our meetings, hes led in the way hes had to, and has remained a huge part of our hockey team.

Yes, thats the captain Boone Jenner skating with the main group at #CBJ morning skate.

Another step along the path.

pic.twitter.com/imAJkbz993 Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) January 25, 2025 Theres a yin and yang aspect to all of this, of course.

Adam Fantilli has gained valuable experience and played well after ascending to the No.

1 line between Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko in Monahans absence.

Luca Del Bel Belluz , called up from AHL Cleveland the day after Monahan was hurt, has been productive and reliable in his first extended NHL look.

Advertisement But the Blue Jackets miss Monahan, not only his impactful offensive play between Voronkov and Marchenko and on the power play but also his defensive awareness and his veteran leadership.

Fantilli has made it clear he has tried to model Monahans play and composure.

Jenner hopes to return on the other side of the mid-season break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which should put his season debut on Feb.

22 vs.

the Chicago Blackhawks .

That means hell miss the next six games, beginning with Thursdays game in Las Vegas.

In training camp, it appeared Evason had Jenner pegged to play on the wing after having spent the last several seasons at center.

But with Monahan out, and with the Blue Jackets well-stocked with top-six wingers, its expected Jenner will likely play center when he returns to the lineup, or soon after.

Since Monahans absence, the Blue Jackets already not a great faceoff team have seen their success on draws plummet across the board.

They are last in the league at even strength (43.1 percent) and on the power play (34.5 percent), and 25th (41.2 percent) on the penalty kill.

Since he joined the league in 2013-14, Jenner is 14th among active players with a 54.1 percent success rate.

Not to mention hes scored 71 goals the last three seasons.

How badly does Jenner want to return? On Saturday, after his morning skate, Jenner made it clear he would have rather broken his jaw again than gone through this recovery from shoulder surgery.

Remember, Jenners jaw was wired shut , he drank food through a straw, etc.

Last year, with the jaw, that was a different kind of hard, Jenner said.

Id take six weeks over the few months, for sure.

It happens.

For it to happen before our first game is hard, but what can you do? Theres a lot of motivation to come back, so Im sticking with it.

Advertisement It appears Jenner will make it back to play a few games before the Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings on March 1 in an NHL Stadium Series matchup in Ohio Stadium.

Thats been his goal since the day he lost an edge and slammed into a corner of the rink in the Blue Jackets practice facility.

Two developments have made it easier not easy, but easier for him to watch from the sidelines.

First, the emergence of the Blue Jackets cluster of young players, who have all started to bloom in their careers: Fantilli, Marchenko, Voronkov, Kent Johnson , Cole Sillinger , Denton Mateychuk and others.

Second, the ascension of defenseman Zach Werenski , not just toward being one of the NHLs top defensemen but to being one of the Blue Jackets leaders.

The young guys have all taken that step this year, Jenner said.

Thats huge for us.

It takes a couple of years to find yourself in this league, and youve seen guys really find themselves and become the players theyve envisioned.

(Werenski) has been the backbone for us.

Hes gone through a lot (with injuries, too), and to see him playing like this ...

hes an elite defenseman and were lucky to have him.

(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.