Blue Jackets to evaluate Jenner, Marchenko, Fabbro before potential return on Saturday against Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason announced that center Boone Jenner, winger Kirill Marchenko, and defenseman Dante Fabbro will be evaluated prior to Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and may possibly be eligible to return.
#CBJ head coach Dean Evason said they’ll evaluate Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko and Dante Fabbro before making a decision for Saturday’s game.
Kevin Labanc has an upper body injury and didn’t skate today.
The plan is for Zach Werenski to return and play Saturday vs. Chicago.
Jenner has missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season up to this point after requiring shoulder surgery in October prior to the start of the season. Jenner had sustained the injury during a practice with the team.
Jenner had a solid season in 2023-24, where he had 22 goals and 13 assists for 35 points in 58 games.
Marchenko has been out after undergoing jaw surgery on February 3rd, an injury he sustained in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. He was placed on injured reserve shortly after and labeled as out indefinitely, although it was assumed that that would change after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The Blue Jackets have gone 0-2-1 in his absence.
It’s been a breakout season for Marchenko, as he’s exploded for 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points in 53 games. He’s already established a career high in points with this season, and is just two goals away from surpassing his career high in goals as well.
Fabbro was also injured in the Blue Jackets’ loss to the Stars, sustaining what was believed to be a concussion in the game. He was believed to be out for “weeks”, another injury timed well with the 4 Nations Face-Off, as it possibly means that he will only miss a few games.
Fabbro has proven to be a solid addition to the Blue Jackets roster after being claimed off of waivers by them, as after six pointless games with the Nashville Predators, he’s managed to accumulate 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points in 37 games with Columbus.
Evason also mentioned that Labanc is dealing with an upper-body injury, and didn’t skate with the team on Wednesday. It wasn’t revealed how Labanc sustained the injury, as he likely hoped that it would heal over the break, but that appears to not be the case. Labanc has only played in one of the Blue Jackets’ last 10 games, but that’s been as a healthy scratch, not for injury-related reasons.
Labanc hasn’t reached the heights of his earlier seasons, but has at least already improved on his last season this year with 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 34 games.
The Blue Jackets will hope to get as many healthy bodies back as they can to snap the four-game losing streak when they host the Blackhawks on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. Columbus currently sits in fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 26-22-8 record, which is one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.