NHL Trade Rumors: Tanner Jeannot Appears Done In Tampa; Linked To Pacific Team

After a 24-goal rookie season in 2021-22, things have taken a decided turn for the worse for combative forward Tanner Jeannot. Now, with one year remaining on his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, it's expected his time there is coming to an end.

Per Jeff Marek on NHL Network Radio on SiriusXM:

I think the one name (in Tampa Bay) you're going to hear a lot about now is Tanner Jeannot. They could use that $3 million in cap space certainly (note: $2.65M to be exact). It's not exactly a secret that it hasn't worked out the way that they intended...

Fellow insider Elliotte Friedman agrees, reporting on his 32 Thoughts podcast Monday morning, "I got a couple of calls from people, saying, that's gonna be one to watch... There are a lot of teams out there that see something (in Jeannot), and they think 'he's more of the player that he was in Nashville, than in Tampa Bay.'"

Jeannot posted 24 goals and 41 points in that rookie year with the Nashville Predators, along with a whopping 318 hits and 130 penalty minutes. He was dealt the next year to Tampa, but he's delivered just 8 goals and 18 points and 75 games for the Bolts over the past season and a bit. Marek sees a fit for him heading back out West:

I wonder if maybe a return to the Western Conference... I've always wondered about Tanner Jeannot and the Calgary Flames. Could there be a potential fit there? There's a lot of young hockey players there... You're gonna see more of it next season.

"I just wonder if Tanner Jeannot can be the 'cop on the beat' for the young Flames," Marek concluded. "Maybe Craig Conroy wants a little bit of a security blanket there for those players."

The Lightning certainly need to clear out some cap space to make room to re-sign Steven Stamkos, among others, particularly after bringing back veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh and his $6.75 million cap hit. Jeannot's $2.65M will come in handy.