LA Kings acquire forward Tanner Jeannot from Tampa Bay for two draft picks

Happy Draft Day, Insiders!

The LA Kings have acquired forward Tanner Jeannot from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2025 and Pick #118 in this season’s draft.

After selecting goaltender Carter George in Round 2, the Kings now have three draft picks remaining in the 2024 NHL Draft, a sixth-round selection and two picks in the seventh round.

Instant Analysis –
Jeannot played in 55 games with the Lightning this season, tallying 14 points (7-7-14). His big year was 2021-22, when he scored 24 goals in a breakout season with the Nashville Predators. He was then traded to Tampa Bay for five draft picks the following season but did not recreate the same scoring totals with the Lightning. The Kings get him for a fraction of the cost Tampa Bay gave up, though it’s still an investment of two draft picks, including a second-round pick next season. Jeannot has one season remaining on his current contract, coming at a salary-cap hit of $2,665,000. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Jeannot is a sandpaper guy. He was originally acquired by the Lightning to be their next version of guys like Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. Physical players who complement their skilled core, coming in at a lower salary-cap hit. Jeannot certainly adds a different element to the Kings up front. He’s physical and willing to play the body, with an immense work ethic that tends to come along with an undrafted rookie. The work ethic piece is there with other forwards, it’s a staple of the players LA likes up front, but that physical brand of winger is not one the Kings have right now in their mix of Top-9 forwards. If Jeannot can bring that grit to the third line or find a way to complement a center higher in the lineup, he’s a got the potential to be a really nice add to the Kings lineup. For that to truly be a good value deal, though, he’ll need to return closer to his 2021-22 numbers than his 2023-24 numbers. The physical stuff will be there either way. If he can chip in offensively as well, as he showed he could in Nashville, the Kings got a player who can complement a line at a very manageable cap hit. If the offense doesn’t follow, I think there’s still an effective player in there, though the valuing of the price is different because he would be a bottom-six option entirely. Expensive for the fourth line but a good bargain if he can contribute higher in the lineup.

With the Jeannot acquisition, CapFriendly is showing the Kings with just shy of $20 million in salary-cap space for the 2024-25 season. That number includes seven forwards, with Jeannot, as well as six defensemen and two goaltenders. The true number is different, because CapFriendly does not account for players like Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas or Samuel Fagemo while it does account for all three of Andreas Englund, Kyle Burroughs and Jacob Moverare but not Brandt Clarke. Remains to be seen with those guys who exactly makes the team, but when you look at the dollars available before acquiring Jeannot, there was ample space to add in a forward around that number. To be honest, the Kings might like to add another, potentially, depending on how and where they view their younger players in the lineup rotation. There’s still a ton of room to potentially add another defenseman, and a forward, to round out what ultimately becomes the 2024-25 LA Kings.