CBJ Top 25 under 25: #3 Boone Jenner

When it comes to hard work and determination, Boone Jenner is the person everyone thinks about. He is the back bone of the Blue Jackets, for better or for worse. He is the symbol that the Blue Jackets look to when they think about their desired style of play. They have always wanted to be tough to play against and that describes Jenner to a fault.

As his scoring as improved, so has his status in the organization. He has already been proclaimed as the captain in waiting and has received compliments for his leadership in the room. Whether that actually means anything remains to be seen, nonetheless, it definitely isn’t a bad look. It isn’t a set of intangibles you want to overrate or put too much emphasis on.

Jenner has been touted as a center, yet has always had a shoot first mentality. He will continue to see time on the wing until the log jam at center is figured out. He wouldn’t be a first line center and if used at center, he would be the third or fourth second line center they have on the team, a weird spot to be in.

Writing about Jenner for his 2015-16 season in review piece, I noted his offensive prowess and defensive weaknesses. He has never been a possession monster and he may never turn into one either. He does, however, score goals in bunches and does it very, very well. He is one of the best pure goal scorers on the team in that regard. He will need some improvement in his own end and his skating can sometimes give the impression that he is trying harder than his teammates, when in fact his style is just more involved.

Even with obvious weaknesses in his game, he still ranks highly on our list. Everyone on the site acknowledged his limitations but also realize that he is one of the better players on the team. It is a weird, nuanced take on a fan favorite. If he keeps improving, the sky is the limit for Jenner.

Future Outlook

Jenner will top 50 points in the next two seasons and will likely be extended to a long term deal. Jenner will also likely be named the captain at some point during his tenure with the team. He will also stay on the wing and never move back to center full time as the position depth is too great for him to switch.