The Boston Bruins signed a bunch of players on July 1. Tanner Jeannot was their most notable signing, however, as the Bruins surprisingly signed him to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $3.4 million. This is after Jeannot had just seven goals and six assists in 67 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2024-25.
Given the amount of money and term the Bruins gave to land Jeannot, many have naturally questioned this Don Sweeney move. However, during a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided some context about why the Bruins ended up signing Jeannot to this expensive long-term deal.
According to Friedman, there was a ton of interest in Jeannot's services once he hit the free-agent market, which ultimately help up his price.
"The one thing that I think happened with Boston was I heard that they were like 10 teams after this guy. Like, I heard the competition for Jeannot was fierce... I think there were a lot of teams after him... I think there were a ton of teams after him. There's not a lot of guys like him."
Friedman then argued that a reason why the Bruins brought in Jeannot was to take away some of the responsibility for defenseman Nikita Zadorov to be their sole tough guy on the ice.
"I think one of the things, too, the Bruins have Kastelic who does this job. But last year, I think they felt at times that they want Zadorov to just play hockey," Friedman said. "I think they felt last time Zadorov was fighting too much or going after guys too much... They 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. So that's why they did it."
With the Bruins looking for more toughness, it is understandable that they had Jeannot on their radar. However, that does not take away from the fact that this contract certainly comes with risk, especially with it being for five years. However, we will need to wait and see how it ages for the Original Six club from here.
In 294 career NHL games over five seasons split between the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Kings, Jeannot has recorded 49 goals, 44 assists, 93 points, 403 penalty minutes, and 1,083 hits.
NHL Rumors: Bruins Targeted New Maple Leafs Forward
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins">Boston Bruins</a> made several new additions to their roster so far this summer. While this is the case, they were also reportedly interested in a recently acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward.
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