Davidson: Jackets getting calls on Jenner, but he’s ‘not going anywhere’

Columbus Blue Jackets interim general manager John Davidson has no intention of moving Boone Jenner ahead of the March 8 deadline.

"I'm being very transparent," Davidson said during an appearance on "The Jeff Marek Show" Friday. "We get a lot of calls on Boone, but Boone's not going anywhere, and Boone doesn't want to go anywhere."

Jenner's name has been cropping up in the rumor mill with the Blue Jackets far out of the playoff picture and several Stanley Cup hopefuls in need of a center. He addressed the speculation in a recent interview with The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

"I want our group to become a successful team, to make the playoffs, and be relevant, get ourselves back on the map as a team," he said. "I know we have it in here, and we're going through the process right now.

"I want to be a part of that and what we can become on the other side. ... We have a long way to go, I know that, but we can get there."

Jenner has racked up 16 goals and 21 points in 37 contests this season while winning 55% of his faceoffs. He represented Columbus at his first-ever All-Star Game earlier this month despite missing 15 games with a broken jaw.

The 30-year-old has two seasons remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $3.75 million. He also has an eight-team no-trade clause.

Columbus fired longtime GM Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday. Davidson - who also serves as the president of hockey operations - said the team is considering options from outside the organization to fill the position, per NHL.com's Jeff Svoboda.

The Blue Jackets are currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division with a 16-26-10 record. Columbus has made the playoffs five times during Jenner's 11-year NHL career, most recently in 2020.

Columbus selected Jenner in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft. He's the franchise's leader in games played (694) and ranks third all time in both goals (186) and points (350).

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