Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Acquire $15 Million Forward

The Toronto Maple Leafs have focused on adding more grit and size to their lineup and one trade pitch has them acquiring Boone Jenner from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Toronto has yet to make any additions to their forward group this offseason, but the website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs acquire Jenner, who is the Blue Jackets captain.

Maple Leafs get:

• Boone Jenner ($1.9 million retained)
• 2026 third-round pick (Pittsburgh’s)

Blue Jackets get:

• Calle Jarnkrok
• Nikita Grebenkin
• 2025 second-round pick (Florida’s)
• 2026 first-round pick

The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Toronto would part ways with a first and second-round pick as well as a prospect and an NHL player in Calle Jarnkrok. However, the Maple Leafs do get a pick in return, but the main part of the deal is Boone Jenner.

Jenner is entering the second year of a four-year $15 million deal and can add some much-needed size and grit to the Maple Leafs lineup. Jenner would be projected to be Toronto’s third-line center would could push Max Domi back to the wing and make them that much better.

Last season, Jenner recorded 22 goals and 13 assists for 35 points in 58 games.

As for Columbus, the Blue Jackets would get Jarnkrok would could replace Jenner in the lineup. Jarnkrok has two years left on his deal that pays him $2.1 million per season and last season, he recorded 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 52 games.

Nikita Grebenkin, meanwhile, was drafted in 2022 and signed his entry-level deal with Toronto back in April. The Russian could crack Columbus’ NHL roster this season but would be another prospect to help along with their rebuild.

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Other NHL teams interested in Jenner

Jenner was involved in trade talks ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline, but the Blue Jackets opted to not trade their captain.

Columbus President of Hockey Ops John Davidson said on Feb. 16 that he received plenty of calls on Jenner but wasn’t interested in trading his captain.

“We get a lot of calls on Boone, but Boone’s not going anywhere, and Boone doesn’t want to go anywhere,” Davidson said.

Jenner, meanwhile, made it clear he didn’t want to be traded either and wanted to remain a Blue Jacket.

“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,” Jenner said to The Athletic. “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 lot of work to be done. We have a long way to go, I know that, but we can get there. And I want to be part of that.”

Jenner was drafted 37th overall in the 2011 NHL draft by the Blue Jackets. He’s spent his entire 11-year NHL career with Columbus skating in 715 games recording 192 goals and 172 assists for 364 points.

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Maple Leafs Focused on Defense in Free Agency

After Toronto was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Maple Leafs focused on defense and goaltending in free agency.

Toronto gave goalie Joseph Woll an extension before signing goalie Anthony Stolarz to form a tandem. Then, the Maple Leafs signed defensemen Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to bolster their defense.

The Maple Leafs will open its 2024-25 NHL season on Oct. 9 on the road against the Montreal Canadiens.

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