Blue Jackets place Boone Jenner on injured reserve with upper-body injury

Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, it is reported that the extent of Jenner’s injury will keep him out of the lineup for a while.

Columbus head coach Dean Evason told the media that Jenner spoke to the team prior to being moved to IR.

“It sucks,” Evason said. “But it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up … You have to turn everything as much as we possibly can into a positive.”

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Jenner lost an edge during practice last Friday, slamming hard into the boards. The veteran later left practice with a trainer in tow. The incident came on the same day that forward Dimitri Voronkov was placed on IR after leaving last Thursday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a lower-body injury.

It is unknown if the recent events are related, but the Blue Jackets signed forward Kevin Labanc to a one-year contract on Saturday after a successful preseason with the New Jersey Devils. Labanc’s role with his new team will certainly be elevated with Jenner’s absence, as he was seen taking reps on the second power-play unit on Sunday.

The injury for Jenner is another in a long list of ailments that have plagued the Dorchester, Ontario, native for the last few years. Since 2017, he has not played an entire 82-game season (excluding the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign). Last season, Jenner played in 58 games, scoring 22 goals and 13 assists for 35 points on a Blue Jackets team that ended up last in the Metropolitan Division.

Jenner has played his entire career with Columbus, the team that took him in the second round, 37th overall, in the 2011 NHL Draft. The 31-year-old has appeared in 715 games, scoring 192 goals and 172 assists for 364 points. He has also scored 15 points in 37 postseason appearances.

The Blue Jackets open their 2024-25 season on Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild.