In search of snarl, Bruins invite plenty of risk with Tanner Jeannot contract
"When they are going to see the Boston Bruins coming into town, they know it’s going to be a fight."
Don Sweeney was quick to retort when asked about the decision-making process that culminated in multi-year contract doled out to forward Tanner Jeannot on the first day of NHL free agency.
A player with Jeannot’s bruising approach on the ice can bring value to an NHL club, especially in a bottom-six role.
But in a free-agent market rife with pugnacious forwards willing to drop the gloves and hammer puck carriers at a bargain-bin price, the Bruins opted to make a significant commitment to the 28-year-old winger.
A five-year deal — worth $3.4 million per season.
It was a contract that raised eyebrows across the hockey world — with AFP Analytics projecting the winger to receive a two-year contract at a $1.42 million annual cap hit.
Even if Jeannot’s reputation as a heat-seeking missile remains validated at this stage of his career, his value has taken a hit when it comes to his production down the other end of the ice.
After scoring 24 goals over 81 games during a breakout 2021-22 season, Jeannot has only lit the lamp 20 times over the last three seasons — averaging just 6.7 goals per year.
For a Bruins team whose fatal flaw last season rested in its inability to find the back of the net, committing a long-term deal to a player like Jeannot felt like a stretch — especially given the influx of other bottom-six skaters that Boston signed on Tuesday (Sean Kuraly, Mikey Eyssimont).
For Sweeney, the decision to bring in a player with Jeannot’s profile — especially on an extended contract — revolves around several factors.
“I think the younger skilled players that we plan to incorporate moving forward are going to need a little breathing room. I think Tanner is going to bring a lot of that,” Sweeney said. “I think the room itself, his leadership skills, how he prepares to play the game, I think that all just boils over into what we need to continue to improve upon. And also support.
“David [Paastrnak] and Charlie [McAvoy] in particular, they’re stepping into leadership situations. They’ve been assistant captains and such, but there’s a lot that goes into being at that upper echelon level of leadership and what’s required of you, along with being an elite player in the National Hockey League. … I think bringing in more players that are capable of providing outlets and relief in that sense plays a big part of what team success is all about.”
Even if Jeannot’s leadership and off-the-ice intangibles will be welcomed on a Bruins team set to incorporate younger talent over the next few years, it remains to be seen just how Jeannot will be able to generate enough production to validate his contract.
The easiest way to do that is by replicating that 2021-22 season, when the 6-foot-2 forward looked like the second coming of Tom Wilson (24 goals, 310 hits).
Even Sweeney acknowledged that it might be asking a lot for Jeannot to produce those similar baseline results — even if they’re desperately needed on a Bruins team with one viable top-six line of Elias Lindholm, Morgan Geekie, and Pastrnak.
“I don’t know if he’s getting back to scoring 27 goals. I sure hope so,” Sweeney said. “Deep down we think he’ll bring a whole lot more energy to our group, that we need. The physicality is there. We run through a tough division. I just think everybody gets a little taller.
“I think if we fast forward what we’ve tried to do from a draft perspective, an eye towards that as well and introducing those young players — that we hopefully are infusing skill — I do believe that the complement Tanner brings will help in that regard.”
The results are there for Jeannot when it comes to his battering-ram reputation.
Over the last five seasons, the Saskatchewan native has landed 1,083 hits. Only Brady Tkachuk, Garnet Hathaway, and Keegan Kolesar have landed more smacks against opposing skaters during that extended stretch of games.
Jeannot believes that even if his offensive production doesn’t spike in 2025-26, he can pull on the rope in a variety of ways to help his team down both ends of the ice.
“I try to make other guys know that I’m on the ice and make them feel uncomfortable and maybe that makes them get rid of pucks a little quicker, put their teammates in a tougher spot,” Jeannot. “That tends to create more turnovers and gets the puck into my team’s hands a little more often. That’s the type of element that I can bring to a line.”
As the dust settles from the Bruins’ uninspiring free-agency spending spree, it looks as though a Boston team building up its prospect pipeline believes its most pressing need in the NHL ranks revolves around resetting the culture, urgency, and sandpaper approach that has been woven into the Original Six franchise for years.
But as Boston tries to build up a new core and open a sustainable contention window, it remains to be seen if those same pugnacious principles are the foundations toward building a juggernaut in today’s game.
“That’s the type of team that, if you can do it consistently for the entire year and into the playoffs, it’s a really hard team to beat,” Jeannot said. “It just wears other teams down. We’re going to be a team that teams aren’t going to be wanting to go against. When they are going to see the Boston Bruins coming into town, they know it’s going to be a fight.
“That’s how it always has been. That’s been the Bruins culture. I feel like me as a player, I’ve always tried to embody that type of culture. So that’s what really excites me about coming there. I want to be a big part of that. A big part of that culture, a big part of this team success, and it’s a really exciting time.”
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