Report: Tanner Jeannot Had Many Teams Pursuing Him

Report: Tanner Jeannot Had Many Teams Pursuing Him

The Bruins raised eyebrows in free agency after signing Tanner Jeannot to a five-year deal that many around the league called an overpay.

Known more for his physicality than his offensive production, Jeannot brings grit—but not much else—with the puck. Still, according to insider Elliotte Friedman, there was plenty of competition for his services, suggesting Boston wasn’t alone in valuing his edge.

Whether he lives up to the price tag or not, the Bruins are clearly betting on a bounce-back.

Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that as many as ten teams were pursuing the big winger, with Boston ultimately landing him for $3.4 million per season. Ultimately, they were willing to spend a little extra with another player in mind: Nikita Zadorov. Check out Friedman’s quotes to see why they were so ready to splash the cash:

“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.”

“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 added. “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.”

Bad Bruins?

Zadorov and Jeannot patrolling the middle of the ice will definitely make them a little more intimidating to play against. However, the allocation of money here is simply bad. If they’re lucky, Jeannot will play closer to his 2021-22 self and maybe be a serviceable third-line winger.

If he doesn’t, you have a fourth liner that you are paying almost four times as much as Florida does. Mind you, Florida’s fourth line in the playoffs did a more than good enough job for just about the league minimum.

Boston fans are definitely feeling down after missing out on Brad Marchand as well. While taking a step back is probably a good thing to do, the issue is that they did it years too early. As soon as the train fell off the tracks in 2023, there should have been some tough conversations in the locker room and front office. Trying to compensate for that by overpaying on Jeannot won’t exactly wipe away all of their problems.

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Tanner Jeannot’s contract will continue to spark debate, especially if the offensive numbers don’t follow. But the Bruins clearly believe his physical presence can bring value beyond the stat sheet. With multiple teams reportedly in the mix, Boston paid a premium to land their guy—and now they’ll have to hope that investment pays off as the season grows closer.

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