Boone Jenner is ready for the next chapter of his NHL career.
The 13-year veteran joined the Washington Capitals on a four-year, $23 million contract on July 1, marking the end of his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the only NHL club he’s ever known.
Jenner, 33, was drafted 37th overall by the Blue Jackets in 2011 and captained the team for the last five seasons, making the choice to leave a difficult one.
“It was definitely a hard decision,” Jenner told TSN1050’s First Up on Monday. “”When you’re there, you’re in it. I envisioned myself always being a Columbus Blue Jacket, being there for the 13 years.
“As time was going on there, at the end of the season and into the off-season, the reality of starting something new was starting to sink in. It was different and bittersweet, but I enjoyed my time in Columbus, and I can’t thank that city enough for what they’ve done for me.”
Free agency was a stressful period for Jenner, who had never experienced the process before in his career. He was happy that he was able to get a deal done quickly, so he can get used to the idea of joining a new team.
“It really excited me to go through the process because it’s something I’ve never done, and I know guys [usually] do it at least once in their career,” said Jenner. “It’s a stressful time and everyone is asking you about it.
“I think the lead up to it was almost worse because all your friends and family are asking where I want to go and what I want to do, but it doesn’t really work like that. My agent [Pat Morris] took me through the whole process, with how experienced he is in his 35-plus years in the game as an agent. I really relied on that experience because I was kind of going in blind.”
The 6-foot-2 centre is joining a Capitals squad that is eager to return to the playoffs. After securing the second-best record in the NHL in 2024-25, the Capitals finished three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers for the final playoff spots in the Metropolitan Division and were four points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card position.
This led the team to make some dramatic additions to their team, securing forward Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres as part of a sign-and-trade and trading for Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues.
Jenner then joined the team as an unrestricted free agent, along with defencemen Vincent Desharnais and Justin Holl, as the Capitals are not only looking to make the playoffs, but make noise in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m so excited and I’m fortunate it all worked out,” said Jenner. “I was watching the moves Washington made at the draft in getting Tuch and Kyrou and when they called, it was super exciting.
“I’ve been in the same division [as the Capitals] my whole career, so I know a little bit of a team they have. It was already a really good team and with the pieces they added, it shows that they want to win right now, which is really exciting for me.”
Jenner says he already has familiarity with Pierre-Luc Dubois, who played parts of four seasons with the Blue Jackets at the beginning of Dubois career. He also has gotten to know Kyrou by working out with him in past off-seasons and has known Tom Wilson for his entire hockey career by growing up playing against him in junior and the NHL.
However, the prospect of playing with Alexander Ovechkin is something that really excites Jenner, after it wasn’t clear if the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer would return for his 22nd season.
“He is one of the greatest goal scorers of all time and one of the best players to play the game,” said Jenner. “So how can you not be excited to play with him and get the experience of playing with Ovie?
“I met him once; we did a jersey exchange last year in the final regular-season game for both of us and we weren’t sure if it was his last year or not. I had a sense when I left that small interaction with him that he’s coming back. It’s kind of funny that it worked out this way.”
