Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner cleared for contact in shoulder recovery
The Blue Jackets’ captain isn’t back just yet, but Boone Jenner continues to pass milestones along a long road to recovery from shoulder surgery.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner to miss several months after surgery
After skating on his own for a few weeks before recently getting clearance to take contact, Jenner joined the Blue Jackets’ morning skate Saturday at Nationwide Arena. He even sent a good-natured “chirp” at goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom, which made head coach Dean Evason chuckle.
“It’s pretty cool, right?” Evason said. “He’s chirping (Backstrom) about which end he wanted at the start of practice, and I said, ‘Maybe you should wait until you get in the lineup before you start chirping the coaches again.’ ”
That wait appears to be shrinking quickly, which isn’t surprising.
Jenner has dealt with an assortment of injuries in his 11-year NHL career, including a broken jaw last season, and he always tries to return ahead of schedule. This time, Jenner is ahead of the curve following shoulder surgery Oct. 9 to repair an injury that happened while crashing into the boards near the end of a preseason practice.
His absence against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday was the 50th game the Blue Jackets played without their captain, but Jenner continues to clear hurdles in his effort to rejoin the lineup. Participating in a morning skate was a big step, and the next is expected to happen in a full practice next week.
“This is just one step you have to get through,” Jenner said. “Obviously, it’s a morning skate, so getting into a couple more practices next week will be a little more helpful, getting some 5-on-5 stuff (and) just taking some hits on it and going from there. I guess the question would be, ‘When am I playing?’ but there’s no set date yet.”
Returning before or at the Blue Jackets’ outdoor game March at Ohio Stadium against the Detroit Red Wings seems like a realistic target date. That would be about five months out from surgery, which is around the typical recovery timeline for shoulder repairs.
Jenner is optimistic he’ll be ready to play the outdoor game, if not return before it.
“We’ve been waiting a while for it,” he said. “I’m hoping to play that one, no doubt, but it’s day-by-day right now. This was a big step today just getting back to practice.”
Thanks to the Blue Jackets’ push to stay afloat in the playoff chase despite multiple key injuries, there’s also a bigger motivator for Jenner, center Sean Monahan (wrist), defenseman Erik Gudbranson (shoulder surgery) and Yegor Chinakhov (back) to return as soon as they’re ready.
“The outdoor game’s something, but everything else that’s gone on (this season) is motivation for me to get back,” Jenner said. “There’s a lot that’s happened in this past little (stretch) that I’m looking forward to getting back and playing for. The outdoor game’s definitely a special one, but this one, for me, is a lot more than that.”
Should the Blue Jackets get Jenner, Monahan, Gudbranson and Chinakhov back for the stretch run, it would be like adding a haul of talent, grit, experience and leadership at the NHL trade deadline, which is March 7.
“There’s a lot motivating me to come back, and I’m just sticking with it,” Jenner said. “I’ve been around as much as I can, and I just can’t wait to join the guys again. Today was a big step, and it felt right being out there. So, hopefully, just keep going.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner clears key injury hurdle
