After acquiring Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators, the Tampa Bay Lightning have just over $5 million of cap space. With the Lightning still needing to re-sign Steven Stamkos, they are expected to trade at least one player. Tanner Jeannot has generated the most chatter as a potential trade candidate.
While Jeannot had a down season, his extreme toughness and past offensive success should lead to teams calling the Lightning. Because of this, let's go over three potential landing spots for him.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are preparing for a busy offseason. While they are expected to target a top-six winger and third-line center, they also should be on the hunt for bottom-six forwards. Tyson Jost, Victor Olofsson, Eric Robinson, and Zemgus Girgensons are all expected to walk. Due to this, the Sabres could make a push for a player like Jeannot.
The Sabres could use more toughness in their lineup, and acquiring Jeannot would give them that. He would be a clear option for their third line and also could work on their second power-play unit because of his net-front presence ability.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have come up as a potential landing spot for Jeannot. The Flames are in the middle of a retool and could use more young players with upside because of it. Thus, it would make sense for the Flames to take a flier on a former 24-goal scorer like Jeannot.
The Flames are also known for loving hard-nosed players, so Jeannot could be a great fit there.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils' bottom six will likely look different next season, as Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney are both unrestricted free agents. Both players likely won't be back in New Jersey next season, so they could consider making a push for a player like Jeannot.
The Devils could also use more toughness in their bottom six, especially with their biggest rival, the New York Rangers, having enforcer Matt Rempe. Having a tough guy like Jeannot, along with Kurtis MacDermid, would make the Devils even harder to go up against. In addition, if Jeannot regained his previous scoring touch, he could be a nice pickup for their third line.
