Predators scratch Tanner Jeannot for 'trade-related reasons'

Saturday’s trade of Nino Niederreiter to Winnipeg might have been just the first seller move for the club. On Sunday, the team announced that Tanner Jeannot would sit in the night's showdown with Arizona due to "trade-related reasons."

As we’ve seen with how things have played out with Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Blue Jackets blue-liner Vladislav Gavrikov, and even Canucks rearguard Luke Schenn, receiving this designation does not mean that a trade is imminent.  Instead, it could be merely protecting against the risk of him being injured with the deadline now just a few days away.  One team to watch, the Tampa Bay Lightning, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that the perennial Stanley Cup Final participant has made a pitch for Jeannot, though how far that pitch went has yet to surface.

Just months ago, the idea of Nashville even considering the possibility of moving Jeannot would have been something of a head-scratcher.  The 25-year-old's rookie forward's season was a slick one, with 24 goals and 17 assists for the 2021-22 campaign along with 318 hits. That fine body of work resulted in a seventh-place finish in Calder Trophy voting while seemingly cementing him as a long-term roster asset.

However, the current season has been something of a nightmare for Jeannot. He as posted just five goals and nine assists in 56 games even as his playing time (15:05 per game) has remained essentially the same to what it was a year ago (15:58).  The physicality is still there (213 hits) but instead of top-six production, Jeannot’s stats are closer to that of an energetic fourth liner.

Part of the appeal for potential trading partners here, is that beyond his on-ice talent, Jeannot carries an AAV of just $800K this season.  He’ll be owed a qualifying offer of just under $900K come the summer, but with the forward eligible for salary arbitration, he would appear to be in line for a significant raise even despite his struggles this season.  Earlier this month, the Predators had started discussions on a contract extension, though there is nothing imminent on that front.