Tanner Jeannot was held out from Sunday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes for trade-related reasons, as multiple insiders began reporting that the Tampa Bay Lightning were working on making a deal for him, which was finalized later in the evening.
Jeannot had a phenomenal rookie season last year, putting up 24 goals and 17 assists en route to a seventh-place finish in Calder nominations. He also added 130 PIM. A soaring and unsustainable shooting percentage (scoring on almost one of every five shots he took) boosted that goals total—the highest in the league for a rookie—despite some on-ice struggles with possession and shot quality that foreshadowed this season’s struggles.
This year has been rougher for Jeannot, who’s only managed five goals and nine assists in 56 games so far. The Nashville Predators have also struggled more around him, but offensively and defensively he’s been closer to the rest of the team, instead of standing out as a weaker possession link.
It’s certainly possible that being on a better team will be able to bring out more of Jeannot’s strengths, but he’s not going to be a career 20% shooter. He’s very popular with a lot of Preds fans, as his physical and combative style are fun to watch, and he’s also the exact kind of player NHL GMs love to add to their teams.
As reported by multiple sources, the Tampa Bay Lightning have traded defensive prospect Cal Foote, a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, and a third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick this year. There has been no report of Nashville sending any players or picks other than Jeannot back.
That’s extremely solid draft capital for a player you signed as a UDFA.
As for Foote, I’ve never been a major fan of his game (skating concerns). But he’s young-ish and will have his shot at regular NHL minutes.#Smashville
— OTF: Preds Prospects (@OnTheFutureOTF) February 27, 2023
This is a large move, and a good return for a player we hope does well in Tampa.