The Boston Bruins signed winger Tanner Jeannot to a five-year, $17 million contract on the first day of free agency.
With the signing came many questions from fans.
The 28-year-old brings a physical game but hasn’t produced to a level worthy of that contract since the 2021-22 season. With the Los Angeles Kings during the 2024-25 season, Jeannot skated in 67 games, adding seven goals and six assists.
General manager Don Sweeney told the media after the signing that he believes Jeannot will bring some leadership and energy to the Bruins. Sweeney emphasized that he wants Boston to get back to being hard to play against, and Jeannot can be a player who can help the Bruins get back to that.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave some insight into what the Bruins were thinking when signing the forward.
“The one thing I would say about Jeannot is yes, it’s a five-year deal, but the number isn’t going to hurt you,” Friedman said on the “32 Thoughts” podcast. “It’s not as high as those other deals were.”
Friedman said that he heard there were around 10 teams that showed interest in Jeannot, and the competition for him was “fierce.” The New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs were some of the teams that were reportedly interested in him.
“I’ve always liked Jeannot (but) he has to stay healthy,” Friedman said. “There were a ton of teams after him; there’s not a lot of guys like him.”
With guys like Nikita Zadorov racking up the penalty minutes during the season, Friedman thinks Jeannot can help Zadorov back away from fighting.
“They’ve still got the Big Bad Bruins thought a little bit,” Friedman said. “They brought Jeannot in to be a little bigger, a little meaner and so Zadorov (doesn’t) have to do some of this stuff as much.”
