Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced that winger Tanner Jeannot will not play in Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche due to an unspecified injury, and he is currently day-to-day.
Jeannot, 26, did not play in the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins, although there didn’t seem to be any issues with him beforehand in the game. He was playing in his first game in over a month after recovering from an injury, one he also suffered in a game against the Bruins. Cooper indicated that there may be some correlation with the injuries but said “I can’t sit here and say it’s the same thing”.
Jeannot has seen his struggles continue this year after a strong rookie season, as he has 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points in 42 games. Assuming his injury doesn’t keep him out of the lineup, he’s on pace for 20 points this season, which is an improvement on last season but nowhere close to his 41-point rookie season in 2021-22.
Scoring isn’t the only thing Jeannot has struggled with lately, as he’s had troubles in the penalty department since establishing himself in the league in 2021-22, both with taking too many and not drawing enough himself. In that span, his -4 penalty goals above replacement is tied with Ryan Johansen for the fourth-worst among forwards.
Jeannot was an undrafted free agent signing by the Nashville Predators out of the Western Hockey League, spending parts of three seasons in the AHL and ECHL before making his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season. He then spent parts of three seasons with the Preds before he was dealt to the Lightning at the 2023 trade deadline for Cal Foote and draft picks in the first five rounds.
Jeannot is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with a $2.665 million cap hit, one he signed with the Lightning in the 2023 offseason.
The Lightning currently sits in third in the Atlantic Division with an 29-20-5 record. They will look to build off of back-to-back wins when they host the Avs on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
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