The Colorado Avalanche are in the market for help at the bottom of the lineup, and Pierre LeBrun has floated a name that fits the bill: Boone Jenner.
Free agency opens tomorrow, and LeBrun believes the Columbus Blue Jackets center could be a sensible target for Colorado. On paper, it’s easy to see why the idea has traction. Jenner is 33 years old, has spent his entire career with Columbus after being selected in the second round of the 2011 draft, and brings a long track record of production and versatility.
Across 808 career regular season games, Jenner has piled up 212 goals and 209 assists. He also has 44 power play goals and 29 power play assists, which at least gives the Avalanche something to think about if they’re looking for a depth piece who might chip in a little more than just steady minutes. His career high in power play goals is nine, so the offensive ceiling isn’t massive, but the chance to squeeze some extra value out of him is there.
There’s another part of Jenner’s profile that stands out: he has posted a face-off percentage of 50% or higher in each of his last 11 seasons. The only years he missed that mark came in his first two seasons in the league. For a team looking to shore up center depth, that kind of reliability has obvious appeal.
Money will matter here, though. Jenner’s AAV on his most recent contract was $3.75 million over the past four seasons.
Colorado could fit that number in theory, but if he’s not being brought in as a top-six forward, the price would need to come down to make real sense. If it doesn’t, the fit gets a lot harder to justify.
The Avalanche have already had to sort through some depth questions. Jack Drury was traded after it became clear he would price himself out, and Valeri Nichushkin was traded after a long stretch of speculation that he could be moved. As things stand, Colorado’s center group includes Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nicolas Roy, and Fyodor Svechkov, who is listed as the fourth-line center on PuckPedia and Daily Faceoff.
That’s why Jenner stands out as a potential low-risk, high-reward add. If the Avalanche can land him on a relatively inexpensive deal, he looks like the kind of player worth at least a serious look.
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From there, the more interesting question is how Colorado shops the market for inexpensive help. A few unrestricted free agent forwards have surfaced as possible fits for the Avalanche based on need and recent performance, including Matias Maccelli, Philipp Kurashev and Arthur Kaliyev. Maccelli stands out as the kind of winger who could help fill minutes opened by departures on the wing, while the others offer the sort of low-cost, upside-driven options teams often examine when they need scoring depth without spending much. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Drouin Just Became A Very Intriguing Avalanche Question
Jonathan Drouin is suddenly back on the market after the Blues put him on waivers for buyout purposes, a move that will send him into unrestricted free agency. For the Avalanche, its at least worth noting because Drouin spent two seasons in Colorado and still sits in the category of forwards who could make sense if the price comes down to a bargain level.
Colorado has cap space and has shown interest in adding forwards, which makes this a name to keep in the conversation rather than just a familiar one from the past. Drouins best run recently came in Denver, and if he decides a return is appealing, the Avalanche could have a real opening even as the rest of the market waits to see where he lands next. [Read more 🡒]