What it means is chances of an NHL team finding center help in the UFA market is slipping away.

The Dailyfaceoff.com now lists Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner as the marketplace’s potential No. 1 UFA center.

The Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers are listed as potential suitors for Boone. There’s been no mention of the Red Wings being interested.

Jenner turns 33 in a couple of weeks. Last season. he scored 13 goals and posted 38 points in 67 games He is two seasons removed from scoring 20 or more goals for three consecutive seasons. He’s a high character, hard-nosed competitor. The Red Wings would have to decide whether he would be an improvement over Andrew Copp (43 points) or Markus Kasper as a second line center. The Kasper issue is the Red Wings must guess where he will be in his development

Strong work ethic, born leader, two-way player, strong in the faceoff circle, gritty performer. The AFP Analytics Projection is a three-year reasonable deal worth $5.2 million per season.

The Blue Jackets veteran has been plagued by injuries for the past six seasons. Boone has never been a true offensive center. He’s not the fastest of centers. He has never posted more than 49 points in a season. He scored 30 goals once, but it was 10 years ago. He knows there is a shortage of centers in the UFA market and he may want a four-year-deal or $6 million per season.

Not the right fit for Detroit. Red Wings need a playmaker, someone who can help wingers be more productive. Jenner will sign elsewhere. The Red Wings will attempt to trade for a center to play with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat