Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner placed on injured reserve with broken jaw

As if the Columbus Blue Jackets are not having a tough enough season as it is, they will be without their captain for the near future.

On Saturday, the team announced that Boone Jenner has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a fractured jaw.

Jenner was injured after taking a puck to the face, following a shot from teammate Ivan Provorov, in the second period of their Friday night clash with the St. Louis Blues, and immediately left the ice.

The Blue Jackets ended up winning, 5-2, snapping a three-game losing skid.

In the release, the team stated that the former Oshawa General is expected to be out for the next six weeks.

Jenner has totaled 13 goals in 29 games this season, good enough to lead the team in that category. His 18 points are second to star defenseman Zach Werenski.

It only adds to the team’s injury woes, with goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and defenseman Adam Boqvist still on IR as well. Losing their captain will only make things harder on the team that is sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.

With the injury, this could give some of the Blue Jackets’ young guns an opportunity to step up. Rookie Adam Fantilli, and former fellow Michigan Wolverine Kent Johnson might move up into a first-line center role.

Jenner has missed a number of games over his career due to injury or illness, including missing the last three of the 2022-23 season with an upper-body injury.

The longtime Blue Jacket has scored 183 goal and 164 assists in 686 career games, and is in the middle of his third year as team captain.

With a 9-15-5 record, Columbus is two points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for seventh in the Metro, and seven points out of a Wild Card spot.