Boone Jenner is off limits to the Avalanche for now
The search for a second line center continues after Boone Jenner is declared off-limits by John Davidson.
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports - Boone Jenner is off limits to the Avalanche for nowWith only a few weeks before the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Colorado Avalanche are quickly running out of high-end options if they plan to add another top-six caliber player to their forward core. After the departure of Nazem Kadri in August of 2022, the club has been searching for a consistent and effective second-line center with limited success.
In hopes of adding a dynamic point-producing centerman to its ranks, the team has watched players like Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan shipped out from their respective teams, leaving the Avalanche to continue their search elsewhere.
When the news was announced on Feb. 15 that the Columbus Blue Jackets had relieved Jarmo Kekalainen — the longest-tenured GM in the franchise's history — of his duties, there was hope that other changes could be coming as well. A change to the front office could also result in a change to the leadership and structure of the current roster. After all, the Blue Jackets were one of the lowest-ranked teams in the Eastern Conference and in the NHL.
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As one of the league's bottom-dwellers, they hold a very cost-controlled centerman, Boone Jenner under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season at a reasonable $3.75 million. Jenner has accumulated 65 goals and 110 points over the past 164 regular season games, and won 54% of his faceoff attempts, all while averaging a 13.5 shooting percentage and just over 20 minutes of ice time per night.
The time for the Avalanche to swoop in and make a trade seemed likely but John Davidson and company have said that their forward is "not going anywhere."
Though Jenner may wish to complete his career as a member of the Columbus organization and does not wish to go anywhere, he remains one of their most valuable assets in an attempt to reconstruct their team. With an eight-team, modified no-trade clause, he does retain some control over his future. However, if the Blue Jackets' new leadership team cannot get their course corrected, Jenner could quickly become a hot commodity around the league.
For now, the search will continue for a centerman before the deadline and it appears Jenner's name will have to remain off limits for the time being.