Tampa Bay Lightning interested in moving on from Tanner Jeannot

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Josh Tupper
June 3, 2024 (5:55 PM)

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Due to a cap shortage this summer and the requirement to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos, the Tampa Bay Lightning will need to seek elsewhere for shifting money in the upcoming weeks.

Forward Tanner Jeannot is one name that has surfaced in trade rumors and is attracting interest from teams around the National Hockey League, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Encina continued, "There are no reports indicating that the Lightning will trade Tanner Jeannot, but since the team acquired him in February 2023 from the Nashville Predators, he hasn't lived up to expectations, especially on the goal scoring front."

"Now, Jeannot's name is being bandied about as one that is drawing trade interest as the Lightning look to create salary-cap space to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos and complete a roster that currently has just 18 players, including 10 forwards, under NHL contracts.

There are no concrete reports saying the Lightning plan to trade Jeannot. But Jeannot, who turned 27 Wednesday, hasn't provided the complementary scoring they had hoped for when general manager Julien BriseBois acquired him a season after he scored 24 goals as a rookie. Jeannot has scored just seven even-strength goals in 75 games with Tampa Bay." Encina said.

Encina continued by saying that Tanner Jeannot has been linked to the Calgary Flames, a team that needs a physical guy on its roster and has cap space available.

"Right now, teams watch the later rounds of the playoffs and see how physicality can be a factor in winning postseason games. If there's a team with sizable cap space available that needs a physical enforcer type � Calgary has been mentioned as a possible landing spot, as it has plenty of space and isn't far from Jeannot's native Saskatchewan � he could be a fit." Encina said.

While Jeannot certainly possesses grit and his physical play may be appealing to Stanley Cup-chasing teams, he still needs to figure out how to earn points in the upcoming campaign. He scored 24 goals in 81 games in his 2021�22 rookie campaign, but in his last 131 regular season appearances, he has only managed 13 goals. If he can contribute 15�20 goals, he might be a very useful player.

However, at this point, the Lightning will not receive anywhere close to the anticipated return, regardless of who they sell him to. For Lighting General Manager Julien BriseBois, freeing up salary space is crucial because Jeannot's cap hit for the 2024�25 season is $2.665 million. In addition, Jeannot's amended no-trade provision becomes effective on July 1st, thus if the Lightning trade for him, it will probably happen before Canada Day..

Source - Tampa Bay Times: What to make of the trade talk involving Lightning's Tanner Jeannot