- Boone Jenner said a quiet jersey swap with Alex Ovechkin gave him a hunch the Great 8 would return for 2026-27
- The two traded sweaters after the April 14 season finale, before Ovechkin had settled his future
- Read below for Jenner’s full comments on leaving Columbus and joining Ovechkin in Washington
Boone Jenner didn’t need an announcement to know Alex Ovechkin was coming back.
He got his answer during a jersey swap. Jenner told TSN’s First Up on Monday that a brief exchange with Ovechkin at the end of last season left him sure the Capitals captain wasn’t finished.
“I had a sense, leaving that small, short interaction with him, that he was coming back,” Jenner said.
The swap happened April 14 at Nationwide Arena, the last regular-season game for both clubs. Washington won 2-1. Ovechkin still hadn’t said whether he would retire or play another year, and a road crowd of Capitals fans chanted his name all night.
Jenner signed with Washington on July 1, a four-year, $23 million deal worth $5.75 million a season. Ovechkin re-signed the next day.
The former Blue Jackets captain spent all 13 of his NHL seasons in Columbus before hitting free agency for the first time. He talked about how hard it was to walk away.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in Columbus and I can’t thank that city enough for what they’ve done for me, but this is the next chapter,” Jenner said.
Watch Jenner break down the move on First Up:
The two crossed paths only that once. Jenner said it’s funny to think they will share a locker room now after all those years on opposite benches.
“How can you not be excited to play with him?” Jenner said.
Washington’s new middle-six center joins a made-over group. GM Chris Patrick added Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Vincent Desharnais this summer, and the whole room is chasing a Cup while Ovechkin has at least one more run in him.
