When the Tampa Bay Lightning made the trade to acquire Tanner Jeannot, the move left a number of insiders scratching their heads. Some gave the Tampa and GM Julien BriseBois the benefit of the doubt, simply because it was the Lightning and everything they’d touched in previous deadlines had turned to gold. But, to give up a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th draft pick for Jeannot was a stretch. The market simply didn’t seem to justify the price paid.
Jeannot was primarily a depth guy who some thought could have a top-six ceiling. He had a 24-goal season with the Nashville Predators in 2021-22, but only five goals and 14 points in 56 games in 2022-23. He is rugged and has no qualms about getting physical, and the Lightning were likely hoping he was the next coming of Nick Paul (from Ottawa) or Brandon Hagel (from Chicago). The idea likely was that Jeannot would come to Tampa, have a great finish to the regular season with some big-name stars, and then produce in the playoffs. Instead, he played only 20 games and had only four points.
Yes, four points, which is one less point than the number of picks Tampa Bay gave up to get him.
Coming back from an injury and being impactful isn’t always easy. And, one might argue it’s hard to get a good read about the results of a trade unless there are a certain number of games in which to evaluate a player. That said, the limited number of games and the ineffectiveness of Jeannot while a member of the Lightning is probably telling enough. Frankly, there was a very slim chance that Jeannot was ever going to be worth five draft picks. The early returns suggest he wasn’t worth anywhere close.
At the time of the deal, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff wrote, “Multiple NHL GMs are stunned by the return. Like jaws on the floor.” One Twitter user (@WizKidBrandon) pointed out: “As an RFA this summer, the Preds could have walked from an $8.4M per year offer sheet on Jeannot (insane to even think about) and received LESS (1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks total) than they got back in this trade. Wowzers.”
In the end, Jeannot got no points in the playoffs, played three games, got beat up by Luke Schenn, and was eventually made a healthy scratch.
What If Jeannot Signs Long-Term?
The question is, can the trade be reevaluated if Jeannot signs a long-term, team-friendly deal in Tampa? For example, can this trade be considered a win if he sticks around on a four or five-year extension at about $1.5-$2.5 million per season? The answer, at best is, perhaps.
But, it will be at that time that the number of games will come into play. If a healthy Jeannot starts coming close to 20 goals per season for $2 million, then it won’t be the worst trade ever. All that said, it will almost take that kind of production at that dollar value to ever make him worth the Lightning giving up five draft picks to acquire him.
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