Tanner Jeannot’s five-year, $17 million deal raised some eyebrows on the first day of free agency.
Boston’s new bruising forward delivered an excellent season in 2021-22 — 24 goals with 17 assists, 318 hits and 130 penalty minutes for Nashville — but hasn’t hit double digits in goals since.
On his “32 Thoughts” podcast, SportsNet insider Elliotte Friedman added some context to Jeannot’s pay day, describing the 28-year-old’s market as “fierce.”
“I heard there were like 10 teams after this guy,” Friedman said. “I heard the competition for Jeannot was fierce. I heard the Rangers were in it. I heard Ottawa was in it. It fits with Toronto because of what Toronto likes. I think there were a lot of teams that were after him. And I heard initially the Kings offer to him was something like under $2 million a year the first time.
“There’s just not a lot of guys like him around anymore. I’ve always liked Jeannot. Now he has to stay healthy. He has to stay healthy. But I think there were a ton of teams after him. There’s not a lot of guys like him.”
Friedman also explained that the Bruins think Jeannot’s signing can elevate Nikita Zadorov’s game, too.
The big Russian defenseman picked up 145 penalty minutes and fought seven times during his first year in Boston, both career highs. With Jeannot in the mix, Bruins brass believes Zadorov won’t feel the need to police things the same way.
“They want Zadorov just to play hockey. I think they felt last (year) Zadorov was fighting too much or going after guys too much,” Friedman said. “They’re still not a big team. They’ve still got the Big Bad Bruins thought a little bit. I think they brought Jeannot in to be a little bigger, a little meaner, and so Zadorov didn’t have to do some of this stuff as much.”
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