Winger Tanner Jeannot is once again facing trade rumors, as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to clear enough cap space for a serviceable off-season. The team is facing the loss of their franchise player Steven Stamkos with just $5MM in cap space – not nearly enough to afford the services of the future Hall-of-Famer. That could push them to try and move Jeannot’s $2.665MM cap hit, though Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times shares that there’s been no legitimate discussions of a move just yet. Though Encina did speak to the idea being a tantalizing one for the Lightning, with many teams around the league still interested in acquiring Jeannot.
The Lightning acquired Jeannot from the Nashville Predators ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, sending the Music City defenseman Callan Foote, the picks that turned into Dylan MacKinnon (2023 third-round, 83rd-overall), Jayson Shaugabay (2023 fourth-round, 115th-overall), and Kevin Bicker (2023 fifth-round, 147th-overall), as well as a second-round pick in 2024 and a first-round pick in 2025 in return. Nashville traded the Shaugabay pick back to Tampa four months later, in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick, and moved the Bicker pick to the Detroit Red Wings to move up in the 2023 second-round.
Jeannot scored just four points in his 20 games with Tampa after the trade, though that didn’t dissuade their faith in him, with the Lightning signing Jenanot to a two-year, $5.3MM contract last summer – a deal that avoided the arbitration hearing Jeannot filed for. The rough-and-tumble winger wasn’t able to rekindle his spark on the new deal, though, scoring just 14 points in 55 games this season. He added 75 penalty minutes and a -10 – and tallied just one assist in four postseason games.
There’s still reported interest in Jeannot around the league despite his lacking scoring. Teams like the Calgary Flames have been looped into trade rumors, though Encina emphasized that a trade isn’t likely Plan A. Tampa will need to get a hefty return in any Jeannot trade, if only to hedge their losses from a costly 2023 move.
Other notes from around the league:
- Saginaw Spirit defenseman Zayne Parekh has won the CHL’s Defenseman of the Year Award, beating out Memorial Cup Finals competition Sam Dickinson. Parekh was dazzling this season, posting a position-leading 33 goals and 96 points in just 66 games this season. He’s just the second OHL defenseman to top 95 points since 2000, joining Ryan Ellis’ 100-point season in 2010-11. But while Ellis was already an NHL draftee, Parekh is headed into his first year of eligibility in the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s seen as one of the top defensemen in the class and should rival a top 10 selection.
- The Dallas Stars are swapping talented young forwards, with Ty Dellandrea stepping out of the Game 6 lineup in favor of Mavrik Bourque, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Bourque won the AHL’s ‘Les Cunningham’ MVP Award this season after posting 26 goals and 77 points in 71 games this season. Bourque formed a dynamic duo with Stars standout Logan Stankoven in the first half of the season. Dallas will look to use that pairing as their X-factor, as they face elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
Dallas better find some urgency to their game tonight or this series will be over.
Can’t wait for the afternoon and evening Jeannot updates!
I’d be shocked if a team willingly helps Tampa Bay and gives up any sort of value for Jeannot, I mean come on
Dude, Jeannot has value. Jeannot isn’t some nobody from the minors & does provide various things for a team. Also, based on your mentality which is rather short-sighted on the matter, you sound like no one should trade with Tampa. Teams trade with each other for their own reasons not with the mentality to prevent a team from making a move. If a team feels they can get value from a potential trade prospect like Jeannot then they’ll get him for their team. According to reports, a number of teams are interested in Jeannot’s services. Tampa will be moving Jeannot & they will be moving Conor Sheary as well. Hate to tell you (not really), teams will be trading with Tampa.
You sound personally offended by my comment, which I think is a little strange. Of course teams will be trading with Tampa. My point is why would other teams look at a guy whose value has completely cratered over the past two seasons both offensively and defensively and think, “Hey, let’s help Tampa clear cap space so they can keep Stamkos and take on this overpaid 4th liner while giving up value in the process.”
Trading Jeannot is directly linked to trying to keep Stamkos, let’s not ignore that obvious point. You’re telling me 31 other GMs don’t know that fact, especially given most of them would LOVE to speak to Stamkos on July 1st…
I don’t get where in the world you get this idea that I’m personally offended as that’s a significant stretch. The only thing that bothered me about your comment was the ideology behind it.
Jeannot’s value is in the eye of the beholder for each team (like with any player). Apparently, according to reports, several teams are interested in Jeannot & feel he can get back to his rookie season numbers. Jeannot’s production value has been hampered by injuries & Tampa’s system which I don’t think fits Jeannot’s skill set. Also, Jeannot isn’t TBL’s only option in trading. Conor Sheary is another guy who has value despite having an injury plagued season this year that teams will have interest in for another example.
You bring up Stamkos, yes, trading players like Jeannot, Sheary, & such does have to deal with Stamkos but also creating cap space for free agency as well. Furthermore, just because Tampa trades away a player or two doesn’t guarantee Tampa will still be able to sign Stamkos. The belief is TBL would offer Stamkos know more than somewhere between $6 to $7 million AAV which is about the value TBL can afford without hurting themselves but Stamkos & his representatives know full well he could get $8.5 to $10 million AAV on the open market. At the end of the day, it’s up to Stamkos not particular any team.
I think my ideology is pretty sound on this. Why would 31 other GMs willingly help out Tampa Bay? Pretty sure all the management in the league is aware that TB is facing huge problems right now cap-wise. Sure, his value is in the eye of the beholder I will give you that, but I bet you’d have a hard time finding an actual contender who’d be willing to take that contract and player.
That fact then leaves the issue of most bottom feeder teams are probably on his NTC so you’ve only got half the leagues worth of possible trade partners.
I also think you’re dramatically underselling how related these trades are to trying to keep Stamkos. Yes, it’s to free up room for free agency. But free agency won’t matter to Tampa if they do what they want to do which is keep Stammer. You simply can’t replace that quality of player in free agency with depth options which is what TB honestly needs. They’re caught between a rock and a hard place and all the GMs know it.
Who’s NTC? Stamkos will be an unrestricted free agent as there is no contract for an NTC. Stamkos has an NTC on his current contract until it ends on July 1st but TBL isn’t trading Stamkos rights away between now & July 1st.
Jeannot doesn’t have a M-NTC go into effect until July 1st. TBL can trade Jeannot wherever they like until July 1st. Sheary has a NTC until June 15th then it turns into a M-NTC.
As for this ideology that no one is willing to potentially do trades with TBL right now because of the Stamkos situation is questionable on a number of levels & just because Stamkos hits free agency doesn’t mean he’s leaving TBL. Also, GMs around the league know more about the Stamkos situation more than the public does because GMs talk to the agents of players. Yes, it’s against league rules per se but everyone knows GMs work around the rules. You can make bets a number of GMs already know about the Stamkos situation & where he stands.
I’ll say it now, Tanner Jeannot &/or Conor Sheary will be traded before July 1st.
I’m obviously referring to Jeannot’s M-NTC given that’s the whole discussion we’ve been having…
I think you have a much more positive outlook on things given you’re a Bolts fan. I’m looking at this much more cynically and I think that they’re going to have a much harder time trading those two than you seem to think. Best bet they have to trade them is to give up assets to get teams to bite but I really don’t think there’s much of a market for either guy.
Either way, clocks ticking on that and on Stamkos
Could Parekh be the second coming of EK if picked by Ottawa. I see him going top 3 possibly so probably not 2nd coming.
He could be the 2nd coming of Brian Lee, too. Nobody knows.
The Lightning are just trying to stir interest in Jeannot but he doesn’t have much trade value. I’m sure Brisebois is behind the rumors since he made the initial horrible trade and now wants some suckers to bail him out.