The Los Angeles Kings saw a number of players leave Los Angeles and join new teams on the first day of free agency. Vladislav Gavrikov joined the New York Rangers on a seven-year deal worth $7 million while his former teammate followed him to the Atlantic Division and signed with the Boston Bruins.
Jeannot is now reunited with former LA Kings coach Marco Sturm but it was costly for Boston to bring the forward there. It might have been one of the more surprising contracts given out across the entire NHL at five years worth $3.5 million.
There is no question that Tanner Jeannot can be a valuable part of a team, and he did a great job being an enforcer for the Kings' fourth line last season. They would trade for him during last year's NHL Draft and sent two draft picks to the Lightning and certainly met expectations.
Jeannot brought some great physicality and led the Kings in hits with over 200. However, he doesn't offer much else as he has now had three straight seasons with seven or fewer goals and under 20 points.
LA Kings were smart to go in another direction this offseason to replace Tanner Jeannot
The Los Angeles Kings made a number of moves on the first day of free agency and the fourth line appeared to be a focus. They would bring in veterans Corey Perry and Joel Armia and while they don't have the same skill set as Jeannot, they bring more to the Kings, particularly on special teams, whether on the power play (Perry) or penalty kill (Armia).
Meanwhile, the Kings can replace what Jeannot brought to the group with players like Samuel Helenius or Jeff Malott. In fact, it was Helenius who was second on the team in hits while playing in only 50 games.
If the money made sense, the Kings probably would have looked for a way to bring back Tanner Jeannot. However, the contract he got from the Boston Bruins was never going to make sense for the Kings and it was wise for them to move on.