There was a collective gasp round NHL Twitter on Sunday night time as we discovered what the return was on the Tanner Jeannot commerce.
The Lightning despatched defenseman Cal Foote, their first-round decide in 2025 (top-10 protected) and their second-round choice in 2024 to the Predators, in addition to third, fourth and fifth-round picks in 2023.
So, as was famous on Twitter, one draft decide for every of Jeannot’s 5 objectives this season.
Right here’s the factor: If there’s any workforce that will get the advantage of the doubt, it’s the Lightning. That’s a really sensible entrance workplace, and it finds these gamers it feels strongly will match the workforce and pays no matter value it takes. That is proper in keeping with previous offers for Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel.
And see three consecutive journeys to the Stanley Cup Remaining, together with two titles.
Was I initially shocked on the value paid? In fact. However then I believed, “Properly, I assume Lightning normal supervisor Julien BriseBois feels strongly about this participant becoming his workforce.”
Jeannot, who’s a restricted free agent this summer season, scored 24 objectives final season, and he’s making $800,000. So there’s that, too.
I requested just a few rival entrance workplace executives for his or her tackle the commerce Monday morning. Right here’s what they mentioned:
Workforce exec No. 1: “Initially, nice return for Nashville. I like Jeannot as a participant. Good middle-six wing who brings dimension and a few heaviness with grit and secondary offense to the lineup. Did Tampa pay quite a bit? Completely. Did they overpay? Sure … however ultimately they’ve accomplished that earlier than and had success. Credit score to Julien. They’ve an identification and so they do a extremely good job of discovering items to fill wants and who play to that identification.
“They usually have a file of re-signing all these acquisitions and in the event that they try this with Jeannot it might offset the price.”
Workforce exec No. 2: “Tampa went again to its acquainted playbook and added a ahead on the deadline who injects extra grit and snarl, and a few scoring potential, to their already potent ahead group. It labored prior to now with Goodrow, Coleman, Paul and Hagel. The associated fee might have been considerably extreme, however through the years, their gamers have performed a ton of playoff video games and are most likely in want of one other injection {that a} participant like Jeannot brings. Based mostly upon their historical past, in addition to the place they may be of their cycle, this was a wonderful addition for them.”
Workforce exec No. 3: “Gorgeous. Davie Poile’s swan tune. Unreal return for Nashville. Once I learn it … I’m nonetheless ready for somebody to say it was a misprint.”
So, sure, it was an overpay, however the backside line for Tampa Bay is that each one these draft picks they traded had subsequent to zero likelihood of really being within the Lightning lineup whereas the present core led by Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman attempt to win extra championships. That first-round decide in 2025 (top-10 protected), a decide two years from now, possibly is a participant within the NHL in 2028 or 2029?
Given Tampa Bay’s lack of draft capital, the Lightning made the choice they must go amount over high quality of their efforts to land a participant they coveted.
And that they did.
May it backfire? In fact. Perhaps this elite core doesn’t age in addition to the entrance workplace hopes and never having a number of picks the subsequent few years comes again to hang-out them and this workforce in about 4 years is a catastrophe.
However I understand how I might really feel if I had been a participant in that Tampa Bay dressing room immediately: Let’s go.
Contained in the Timo Meier deal
What a grind.
It’s the very first thing that involves thoughts after I take into consideration the quantity of labor Sharks GM Mike Grier and his workers put into this course of over the previous few weeks.
Did they in the end select the best bundle in going with New Jersey over the ultimate affords from Vegas and Carolina?
I imply, let’s revisit that in 5 years. However there’s no denying Grier explored the market totally.
Don’t overlook different groups just like the Blues and Jets additionally had talks with San Jose on Meier earlier than they light out. The Maple Leafs checked in just a few weeks in the past earlier than going the Ryan O’Reilly route. There have been different groups, too.
The Canes tried valiantly over the previous 10 days, particularly. Certainly one of their last affords had six items in it, together with a first-round decide and a second-round decide, plus prospects. However the one younger participant they by no means relented in not wanting to maneuver is Russian blueliner Alexander Nikishin. It might need been a game-changer had Carolina included him within the bundle, however I don’t blame the Canes for wanting to maintain him. They’ve large plans for him.
What shocked me, too, is that in line with my TSN colleague Darren Dreger, the Golden Knights had been nonetheless in it for Meier even after buying Ivan Barbashev on Sunday. Wouldn’t which were one thing, getting each Barbashev and Meier. That additionally tells me the Golden Knights are definitely not accomplished but.
However ultimately, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald by no means relented. He was on San Jose always the previous few weeks, because it was evident he could be way back to an interview I did with him in late January. He was keen to be all-in to get a top-six winger so long as it was a hockey deal and never a rental. Which in fact screamed Meier.
Right here’s one thing to recollect about Fitzgerald: Final August, he tried exhausting to get into the Matthew Tkachuk commerce sweepstakes, however sadly for him, the Devils didn’t make Tkachuk’s shortlist. Fitzgerald additionally spoke to Johnny Gaudreau’s camp when free company opened final July.
Neither a type of issues materialized, however I keep in mind submitting that away as a result of it gave me the impression that the Devils had been going to take an enormous swing once more for a top-six winger when the second offered itself.
Bang. Mission achieved.
The Devils nonetheless must re-sign Meier, a restricted free agent this offseason with a $10 million qualifying supply. That’s going to be an enormous precedence. They usually must signal Jesper Bratt, too.
If Fitzgerald can pull each these issues off, you’re a Devils workforce that might show to be a sustainable contender for years to return.
(Photograph of Tanner Jeannot and Timo Meier: John Russell / NHLI by way of Getty Pictures)
