Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner has reportedly changed agents as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played nears unrestricted free agency.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Jenner recently fired his long-time agent Joe Resnick of Top Shelf Sports Management and has partnered with Pat Morris of Newport Sports.
Portzline writes that “it’s easy to see a scenario in which the once-hard-to-believe may come true: that Boone Jenner gets squeezed out of the mix in Columbus and is allowed to sign elsewhere as a free agent on or after July 1.”
He points to the signing of centre Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $36 million contract last week as a potential indicator that Jenner may not be back and also wonders if the team will seek a change in leadership after head coach Rick Bowness ripped into the team’s effort at the end of the season.
Jenner has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets, having been selected by the club in the second round of the 2011 draft.
The 32-year-old posted 13 goals and 38 points in 67 games this season while carrying a cap hit of $3.75 million on the four-year, $15 million extension he inked with the club in 2021, one year ahead of potentially reaching free agency.
Jenner scored 30 goals in his third NHL season, but has been unable to find that same offensive success since, topping the 20-goal mark three times in the 10 seasons since. He has been limited to less than 70 games in each of the past five seasons due to various injuries, including appearing in just 26 games last season due to shoulder surgery.
A native of Dorchester, Ont. Jenner has appeared in 808 career games with the Blue Jackets, having blown past Rick Nash’s previous record of 674. He has 212 goals and 421 points over his time in Columbus.
As free agency draws closer, PuckPedia lists the Blue Jackets with $34.2 million in cap space with 16 players under contract for next season. In addition to Jenner, forwards Mason Marchment and Danton Heinen are pending UFAs, along with defencemen Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith.
The team also has an important class of restricted free agents with Adam Fantilli, Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger in need of new deals.
