Blue Jackets’ John Davidson: ‘We get a lot of calls on Boone Jenner, but he’s not going anywhere’

In the days after the Columbus Blue Jackets fired their general manager in Jarmo Kekalainen, there are many questions as to how this team will proceed in the future, specifically with the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline fast approaching.

President of Hockey Operations John Davidson has taken over as GM for the remainder of the season, and now it’s up to him to determine which pieces are available to move for assets, and which ones are staying for the next step of the Blue Jackets’ rebuild.

On Friday, Davidson chatted with Jeff Marek on The Jeff Marek Show on the Sportsnet 590 The FAN. One of the topics that came up was team captain Boone Jenner, and how you could make a case that he would fit with any of the other 31 teams in the league. Marek asked Davidson how often do other teams call on the 30-year-old forward.

“Quite often. I’m being very transparent, we get a lot of calls on Boone, but Boone’s not going anywhere, and Boone doesn’t want to go anywhere,” Davidson said. He also pushed back on the narrative that young players don’t want to play for the Blue Jackets, saying every situation has its own story.

“I don’t get calls from people demanding to leave Columbus,” Davidson said. “This is a wonderful place to play. Johnny Gaudreau came to us, and we signed him.”

Davidson said the drama that’s been attached to the club through the season can generate a lot of noise from the outside, “but a lot of it is just malarkey. It’s not even close to true.”