Maple Leafs Would Love to Land this Blue Jackets Forward

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in uncharted territory right now. This core group, led by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares, is used to having all of the regular-season success in the world, cruising their way to a playoff berth every year. However, that hasn’t been the case so far in 2025-26, as they sit in second last in the Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres.

---

Because of that, Toronto’s decision on whether they should be buyers or sellers on the trade market is as uncertain as it’s been in quite some time. The thought of selling would have been a nightmare scenario for anyone entering the season, and while the first two months of action have been far from ideal, Brad Treliving still believes in his group and wants to add to it.

That’s easier said than done, given the Maple Leafs’ cap constraints and lack of draft picks and prospects. But, according to insider David Pagnotta, that won’t stop Treliving from trying, and on Wednesday, he specifically linked them to Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner.

Pagnotta said:

“I’m sure there are players that they’d love to target, like a Boone Jenner, for example, in Columbus, their captain, who has that jam, who can put the puck in the net, can play top-six minutes, he’s hurt right now… and he’s a UFA this summer. But what’s Columbus going to want to do? Do they want to wait on things? Is this a position where, ok, we’ll listen, but you’re going to have to overpay a little bit? Toronto doesn’t have a significant amount of assets in the cupboard either. So, it’s a very tricky situation for them to be in,”

As Pagnotta mentioned, the 32-year-old Jenner is a pending UFA in the fourth and final season of the four-year, $15 million extension he signed with the Blue Jackets back in 2021.

Is Boone Jenner a Fit for the Maple Leafs?

While Jenner has been a very good and productive player in Columbus, it’s not necessarily a slam-dunk fit for Toronto.

The Dorchester, Ontario, native has dealt with a plethora of injuries in recent years, having played in more than 60 games just once since 2020-21.

When available, Jenner has continued to produce and play with an edge that would interest any contending team, but given how high the asking price will likely be, the Maple Leafs in particular need to be careful.

Jenner’s numbers and style of play, while slightly better, are quite similar to those of Scott Laughton, and we’ve seen how giving up a first-round pick plus has turned out in the aftermath, so they’ll need to proceed with some caution this time around.

Next: Maple Leafs Pitched to Part With Big Package for Quinn Hughes