Predators Trade Jeannot to Lightning For Foote & Draft Picks

Jeannot was starting to garner a lot of attention in the trade market. It is easy to see why, as he carries an $800,000 cap hit, chips in offensively, and plays an immensely heavy game. Thus, he is every playoff team’s dream, and the Lightning are officially the club to win the sweepstakes. Yet, did they overpay?

Lightning Improve Bottom Six With Jeannot

With this move, the Lightning have landed a quality bottom-six forward in Jeannot at a minimum. “The Oxbow Ox” has appeared in 56 games this season, where he has five goals, nine assists, 213 hits, and 85 penalty minutes. Yet, it is also important to note that he posted a 24-goal and 41-point campaign just last season, so his production may go up playing for a much better team like the Lightning.

When looking at a potential spot for Jeannot in Tampa Bay’s lineup, he should slot nicely on their third line with Ross Colton and Nick Paul. That line already has a good amount of grit, but Jeannot will now provide it with much more due to his tenacious style of play. With that, the 6-foot-2 winger should be in the running to receive power-play time with the Lightning because of his strong net-front presence ability.

On paper, there is no denying that there is a match here, and Jeannot should provide the Lightning with a solid boost as they gear up for the postseason. Yet, they also gave up a ton to acquire him.

Predators Land Several Assets For Jeannot

It is fair to assume that not too many people expected the Predators to land five draft picks for Jeannot. Although his cheap cap hit and immensely physical style of play made Jeannot an appealing trade target, that return is truly unbelievable for the Predators. Acquiring a first-round pick for the Saskatchewan native seemed like a stretch, but the Predators have added just that and much more. These picks will help the Predators strengthen their prospect pool over the next few years as they embark on their retooling period.

Yet, one should not ignore Foote being added to this deal, either. Although the 2017 first-round pick has had trouble becoming a high-impact defenseman at the NHL level, perhaps this move to Nashville will help change that. The Lightning’s strong right side made it hard for Foote to land himself a big role, but now he is heading to a much weaker team with the Predators. Therefore, the Colorado native is in the running to play top-four minutes and on their penalty kill at a minimum.

Overall, it is hard not to love this move for the Predators. They have taken advantage of Jeannot’s market and landed a return that nobody could have predicted. Although this is the case, Jeannot still should make an impact for the Lightning, as he will make them extremely tougher to play against. Yet, if he finds last season’s scoring touch, he could be a real difference-maker for Tampa Bay.