During the season, it was no secret that the Los Angeles Kings were discussing a contract extension with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, but he wasn't the only pending free agent the team was trying to keep in Los Angeles. According to Elliotte Friedman on a recent episode of '32 Thoughts', he said that the Kings did approach Tanner Jeannot about a contract extension, but it didn't get very far as the two sides were far apart.
This was Jeannot's first season with the Los Angeles Kings after they traded for him during last year's NHL Draft. In return, the Tampa Bay Lightning received multiple drafts, including the Kings' second-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Tanner Jeannot filled a need for the Los Angeles Kings well this season
The Kings were hoping that they would be getting a player who could bring some physicality and size to the forwards with a little scoring punch. That is essentially what they got as he had seven goals and six assists with a team-leading 211 hits.
Unfortunately for Jeannot, and the Kings, he suffered an injury towards the end of March that would keep him out of the rest of the regular season and the Kings' first round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. There is never a good time for injury but this was really bad luck for Jeannot as he had back-to-back games with a goal and an assist before the injury.
Now with free agency right around the corner, it will be interesting to see if Tanner Jeannot will be back next season. It could be a scenario that Jeannot had a contract in mind and that might be unattainable in free agency and he lowers his demands.
There is also the additional unknown now that the Kings are looking for a new general manager after the departure of Rob Blake. The Kings' former general manager could have had a contract in mind that is lower than what the new general manager might be willing to offer.
The new general manager once announced will have a busy few weeks and one of those things will likely include trying to work out a new deal for Tanner Jeannot.