There was a clear focus last offseason for the LA Kings to get bigger and more physical, especially among the forwards. They would sign Warren Foegele during free agency, but prior to that, they would trade for Tanner Jeannot during the NHL Draft last year.
Jeannot was a former undrafted free agent who signed with the Nashville Predators and had a breakout season in 2021-22 with over 40 points. He continued that strong start the following season and the Lightning saw enough to offer a trade at the trade deadline that included a first-round pick.
Jeannot never had the same impact with the Lightning and they would trade him to the Kings. In his first season with Los Angeles, he certainly was a physical presence for the fourth line with over 200 hits in 67 games.
The offensive game started to come along as well with four points in two games before suffering an injury against the New York Rangers on March 25th that would cost him the remainder of the season.
Grade for Tanner Jeannot's 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Kings: B
There is no question that Jeannot fit in well on the Los Angeles Kings and made an impact for the team. The challenge for the Kings now is whether or not they can sign him to a new contract that would make sense for what he brings.
It is highly unlikely that Jeannot is going to get back to that 40+ point season he had a few years ago. He probably will end up between 20-30 points each year of his career but he is almost certainly going to get close to 200 hits.
If this aligns with what the Kings are looking for, then a deal probably gets done over the next few weeks. However, they probably can get the same results from Samuel Helenius, Andre Lee or even Jeff Malott which makes it seem unlikely that he will be back.