The Boston Bruins raised eyebrows across the NHL by signing forward Tanner Jeannot to a five-year, $17 million contract this offseason. With a $3.4 million average annual value, the deal marked the team’s biggest free agent commitment this offseason and immediately sparked comparisons to past missteps.
Why Did the Bruins Commit $17 Million to Tanner Jeannot?
Jeannot, 28, is coming off a modest 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Kings, where he recorded just seven goals and six assists in 67 games. Despite limited offensive output in recent years, Bruins GM Don Sweeney moved quickly to secure Jeannot’s services.
Multiple reports indicated that as many as 10 teams were interested in the physical winger once free agency opened. That competition, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, helped drive up the asking price.
“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 said.
Tanner Jeannot tried to help Matt Rempe get up so they could keep fighting after Rempe lost his balance pic.twitter.com/36OGLqIn3K
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) March 26, 2025
The Bruins’ decision to commit to Jeannot has drawn comparisons to another infamous signing, Matt Beleskey’s five-year, $19.8 million deal in 2015. Beleskey, like Jeannot, came to Boston with hopes of adding physicality and secondary scoring. He managed just 18 goals in 143 games for the Bruins before spending time in the AHL.
Analyst Greg Wyshynski pointed out the similarity, noting Jeannot has only scored 20 goals combined over the past three seasons with the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Kings. While his 24-goal rookie year in 2021-22 was his career high, his production has dropped off significantly since then.
Can Jeannot’s Physicality Justify the Price Tag?
Sweeney stressed that Jeannot’s value goes beyond the scoresheet. He highlighted Jeannot’s leadership, physical presence, and potential to support younger players as key reasons for the signing.
With Boston expecting to integrate more youth into their lineup, Jeannot is expected to create space and provide protection on the ice, especially for players like Nikita Zadorov.
The signing also comes with risk. Critics argue that the Bruins’ top priority should be scoring. In 2024-25, David Pastrnak (43 goals) and Morgan Geekie (33 goals) were responsible for a majority of the Bruins’ total goals. With Brad Marchand gone, that number climbs even higher in terms of lost production, as he had scored 21 times for Boston before being traded to the Florida Panthers at the NHL trade deadline.
Jeannot’s physicality is well-established. He’s logged over 1,000 hits in the past five seasons, ranking 15th in the league. However, he hasn’t hit double digits in goals since 2021-22 when he scored 24, raising questions about whether his game can still evolve offensively.
Los Angeles goal!
Scored by Tanner Jeannot with 10:40 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Brandt Clarke and Joel Edmundson.
Los Angeles: 6
Boston: 2#BOSvsLAK #GoKingsGo #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/6MxotreZOy— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 24, 2025
Even Sweeney acknowledged he’s unsure if Jeannot will ever return to his Nashville form. “I don’t know if he’s getting back to scoring 27 goals,” he admitted. “Deep down we think he’ll bring a whole lot more energy to our group, that we need. The physicality is there. We run through a tough division.
“I just think everybody gets a little taller (with Jeannot in the lineup). I think if we fast forward what we’ve tried to do from a draft perspective, an eye towards that as well and introducing those young players… that we hopefully are infusing skill… I do believe that the complement Tanner brings will help in that regard.”
Time will tell if Jeannot can deliver on Boston’s expectations or if this deal echoes a mistake the team has made before. For now, it’s a gamble that Sweeney hopes doesn’t burn them down the road.
With the Maple Leafs, Lightning, and Panthers leading the way, the Atlantic Division remains one of the NHL’s most competitive, and Boston needs every advantage it can get to stay in contention.
