The Capitals’ offseason overhaul brought plenty of headline names, but Boone Jenner may end up being one of the smartest additions in the whole group.
Washington signed Jenner to a four-year contract to kick off free agency, and the fit is obvious. After 13 seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he piled up 212 goals and 209 assists for 421 points in 808 games, the 33-year-old arrives with a reputation for doing whatever the job calls for. He also wore the “C” in Columbus for the last five seasons and spent plenty of time in the top six.
That kind of flexibility matters in Washington, especially with a roster that already has some depth and a coach who values options. Jenner can play center or left wing, and he’s done both repeatedly over the course of his career. He’s strong at 5-on-5 and brings value on special teams too, particularly on the penalty kill.
“I'll do anything that's best for the team,” Jenner said, adding, “I think the versatility that I can bring can be valuable up and down the lineup, so I'm just looking forward to getting there. At the end of the day, I'll do anything the team needs or asks of me, and I'm going to do that (with) my work ethic and compete style. The rest takes care of itself.”
Spencer Carbery isn’t locking himself into one plan yet, but he clearly sees Jenner as someone who can be moved around and trusted with major minutes if needed.
“Boone is a perfect fit for our group because of the way he plays and the way he practices every single day. He's a true pro in every sense of the word... he can play any position,” Carbery said. “He can play bottom six if you need him to play there, he can play top line, he can be first over the boards, win face-offs on the penalty kill.
“He's versatile that maybe one night you see him playing fourth-line center, fourth-line left wing that's going to play 14, 15 minutes and then the next night he's playing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson, and that's great for a coach and for a staff to be able to have that.”
With Ilya Protas penciled in on the opening night roster at center and Justin Sourdif also securing a spot down the middle, Jenner may start on the wing. But that’s almost beside the point. The value here is having a player who can slide wherever the Capitals need him and hold up if the lineup gets shaken by injury or adversity.
Washington saw that need firsthand last season when Dubois was sidelined. Jenner gives them another veteran who can step into a bigger role without blinking.
He also brings offense. Jenner finished last season with 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 67 games, a pace that would have landed him at 47 points over 82 games.
And beyond the numbers, he adds the kind of steady presence teams lean on inside the room: a proven leader, a hard worker, and a player who shows up with the same edge every night.
“My game stems on hard work and competitiveness... I'm going to try to be myself and what I've always brought,” Jenner said. “I think I can chip in on both sides of the puck, and I'm just going to keep doing what's made me successful so far in my career.”