The Boston Bruins made nine signings on day one of NHL free agency (read about all of them here). Of those nine signings, not one brought home more money than 28-year-old winger Tanner Jeannot.
Jeannot inked a five-year, 17 million dollar deal that brings home $3.4 miilion AAV. This makes Jeannot the 11th highest paid player on the Bruins roster and analyst Sean Gentille is absolutely flummoxed by the signing.
“When it comes to analyzing the moves we see on the first day of NHL free agency — in any given season — some themes tend to repeat themselves,” Gentille wrote on The Athletic. “One of the big ones: General managers tend to repeat the mistakes of their peers. Not everyone learns. Jeannot’s contract is the latest, best example. We’ve already seen one team go all in on him as a long-term solution on the bottom six, and we’ve already seen it blow up in their faces.”
He then revisted the 2023 trade in which the Tampa Bay Lightning sent five draft picks to Nashville in an attempt to make a cup run. The problem with that trade is it was made after Jeannot’s 24 goal rookie season. A mark in which he has not come close to in the seasons following.
“Jeannot, of course, played 75 games for the Lightning and, without a shooting percentage of 19.4 to float his game, brought very little to the mix other than hits — too many of which came while he was chasing the puck,” Gentille continued. “He didn’t do much for the Kings in his lone season there, either. Lesson learned, you’d think.”
How Much Impact Will Jeannot Have On ’25-26 Season
Gentille’s epic rant did not stop there, as we finally got to the root of his problem. He believes that $3.4 million for a player who will not have that much of an impact is nonsensical.
“Now, though, he’s going to be a $3.4 million player for five seasons. As a short-term bet, that AAV would’ve been unwise. As a long-term one, hoo boy. He has a bit of defensive value and, yes, loves to punish his opponents — but that’s only enough to stop this from being an ‘F’,” Gentille continued.
He gave the contract a D- grade and the fit a D+. However, he did highlight the very dim bright side he could find, saying that he doesn’t think this Bruins team will be all that good anyways.
“The bright side for Boston, if there is one, is that they’re on track for another rough season. Rostering Jeannot isn’t going to be the difference in one way or another. The Lightning needed quality minutes from Jeannot to go on another Stanley Cup run — and in Boston, the stakes aren’t going to be nearly as high,” Gentille concludes.
Don Sweeney Says They Are Looking For Players With An Edge
This signing begins to make more sense after general manager Don Sweeney’s sit down with the media. In today’s press conference, Sweeney spoke on what he is looking to accomplish for Boston this offseason. Above all else, he was disappointed in the team’s efforts last year. As such, he is looking to find more toughness in this year’s free agency class.
“At times last year, even when we had our (whole) group, we were an easy out,” Sweeney told reporters. “I just can’t stand for that. So we are going to reestablish.”
