Capitals Still Have Cap Room. Boone Jenner Might Be the Next Target.

Kevin Weekes dropped a name during the NHL Draft broadcast Friday night that might not surprise anyone who’s been paying attention. The ESPN insider said he’s heard for a while now that Boone Jenner could end up in Washington once free agency opens.

Weekes pointed out the Capitals still have cap space to play with after already adding Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch this offseason. They’ve got about $14 million in projected room. And they’re still looking for help on the left side.

Jenner is 33. He had 13 goals and 25 assists over 67 games last season for Columbus. He’s spent his whole career there — 808 games, a franchise record. And he can play center or left wing. That flexibility matters for a Washington team that just stacked up on right wingers.

But here’s the thing. Jenner’s role under Rick Bowness in Columbus got smaller this year. That reportedly made contract talks complicated. So a split always seemed likely. He carried a $3.5 million cap hit last season. That’s not nothing, but it’s affordable for a veteran who brings leadership and can slot into a middle-six role.

What Jenner brings at this stage

He’s been a 20-goal guy three times in the last five years. He wins faceoffs. He kills penalties. He’s the kind of player coaches trust in tight games. Washington already has Ilya Protas ready to step into a full-time role and Justin Sourdif showed he can play center last season. So Jenner wouldn’t have to carry the load down the middle. But he’d give them a reliable option if they want to ease those younger guys in.

And then there’s the off-ice stuff. Jenner is a captain. He’s been through a rebuild in Columbus. The Capitals are clearly trying to reshape their roster on the fly after years of being built around Alex Ovechkin. Adding someone like Jenner signals they want to stay competitive now without sacrificing everything for the future.

Weekes didn’t say a deal is close. He just said the connection keeps coming up. And with Washington’s cap situation and Jenner’s likely availability, it’s not hard to see why.