Julien BriseBois has a good “batting average” with his trades, but he’s clearly missed his target this year as of the reporting date.
The high-priced acquisition of Tanner Jeannot did nothing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs. In the sixth and final game of the showdown against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, the power forward was even missing.
Jeannot has appeared in just three of the six meetings between the two Atlantic Division rivals. He didn’t score a single point, recording a -2 difference and conceding five penalty minutes.
Statistics that don’t justify the hefty amount the Lightning’s general manager paid to snatch him from the Nashville Predators on February 26th. In exchange for his services, the “Preds” earned defenseman Cal Foote, as well as a first-round pick in 2025 (top-10 protected), a second-round pick in 2024, and third-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks in 2023.
After a 24-goal season in 2021-22, Jeannot had just 14 points in 56 games before joining the Bolts. He’s been just as discreet with his new team, which has one small goal and three assists in 20 games and a -6 difference.
This decision by BriseBois ensures that the Lightning will remain silent until the sixth round of the next draft unless there are interim trades.
For 2023, 2024 and 2025 he will not be able to speak in the first round unless he moves to steal the right to speak from another organization. On March 18, he traded with the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Brandon Hagel in exchange for a protected first-round pick for the next two amateur auctions.
“Quantity before Quality”
At the time of the transaction, BriseBois was confident that it had made the right choice.
“Our first target was Tanner Jeannot. We were fortunate to get our hands on this player who fits the needs of our organization very well, not just for this year but next year and I’m hoping for multiple seasons.
“We didn’t have a first-round selection this season or next. We didn’t have a second-round pick this season either. Assuming players are being traded to the highest bidder at close, I was at a bit of a disadvantage.
“Fortunately, we’ve managed to sell a ‘package’ that focuses on quantity rather than quality. We think it’s worth it for a player who helps us right away and has qualities that are very popular in the National League. This is an element that our group lacked.
“Tanner is a player who has a lot of pace, who’s a good size, who makes a lot of checks, who can kill penalties, who manages the puck well, who’s a great teammate and whose influence only goes to the $800,000 salary cap.”