Boone Jenner became a part of the Washington Capitals after signing a four-year, $23 million contract on Wednesday, July 1, the first day of the NHL Free Agency. Following his departure from the Columbus Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent (UFA), the 33-year-old forward inked a $5.75 million average annual value (AAV) deal with the Capitals.

While speaking to the media just a day later, on Thursday, July 2, Jenner was questioned about the reason for joining the Capitals after becoming a UFA for the first time.

“The team that’s there, you can tell they’re all in to win, and that’s really exciting for me [at] the point of my career that I’m at,” said Jenner in response, in the video post from the Capitals on their official X account. “So, [I] couldn’t be happier to join them.”

Notably, Jenner is firmly in the second half of his NHL career at 33 years old after playing 13 straight seasons in Columbus.

He became a part of the league when the Blue Jackets selected him as the No. 37 pick in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft. During the 2013-14 season, he made his debut for them against the Calgary Flames on October 4, 2013.

Jenner ended up scoring 29 points (16G / 13A) in 72 games and six points (3G / 2A) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games in that season.

From that point onwards, till the end of last season, he never really looked back in terms of his own performances while playing for the Blue Jackets. In the 808 regular-season games, he recorded 421 points (212G / 209A) while his 37 playoff appearances yielded 15 points (8G / 7A).

But Jenner was not able to guide Columbus to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the last five seasons after taking over the captaincy on October 21, 2021. Before that, in his first eight seasons as a player, they made the playoffs on five occasions.

While Jenner might not get the captaincy role at the Capitals with legendary forward Alex Ovechkin still in charge, he could become one of their key players in the next four seasons.

How did Boone Jenner decide to join the Washington Capitals?

When Boone Jenner apparently decided not to extend his 13-season-long stay at the Columbus Blue Jackets in the ongoing offseason, it meant that he needed to find a new team to continue playing in the NHL. At that point in time, the 33-year-old knew that he would become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) for the first time on July 1, when the NHL Free Agency kicks off.

During the same aforementioned interview with the media on July 2, Jenner mentioned what happened in the offseason before he decided to join the Washington Capitals as a UFA.

“So, obviously, when you're approaching free agency, you're kind of following what teams are doing and, obviously, making some huge moves around the draft there,” he said. “It was kind of a spot where it was like, 'Well, that would be a great spot to play.' So, when free agency came along on July 1, and Washington called, we were thrilled.”

Jenner was alluding to the couple of trade deals that the Capitals made before the 2026 NHL Draft last month, which caught his attention in more ways than one.

Washington had signed forward Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Connor McMichael, forward prospect Milton Gastrin, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. They also brought in forward Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward David Kampf and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Ultimately, when the Capitals called Jenner for a move, he agreed to join them since his mind was already made up regarding fitting well on their roster.

Will Boone Jenner prove to be a difference-maker for the Washington Capitals in the next few seasons? Share with us your views in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar