The NHL season is about a quarter of the way complete for the Los Angeles Kings and there has certainly been more good than bad to this point of the season. They are near the top of the Pacific Division, which is noteworthy considering a majority of their games have been on the road.
However, as mentioned it hasn't been all good and there is some instances where the Los Angeles Kings might have buyer's remorse. There is one move in particular from this offseason that immediately comes to mind.
During the 2024 NHL Draft, the Kings would trade their fourth-round pick from that year's draft along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Tanner Jeannot.
For the Kings, the thought process seemed sound as Jeannot is still relatively young at only 27 years old and did have a 40+ season just a few years ago with the Nashville Predators. He hasn't shown that production while with the Lightning but a change of scenery might help him return to that level.
Tanner Jeannot has been unable to live up to the trade package the Los Angeles Kings offered
Unfortunately, through the first quarter of the season it seems like the Kings got the player that was on the Lightning than the one who was with the Predators. Through 16 games, Jeannot has only two goals and one assist while averaging around 10:36 of ince time. He also missed three games this season after being suspended for a hit against the Vancouver Canucks.
Jeannot is certainly fine as a fourth-line forward but the trade package the Kings agreed to with the Lightning is not for a fourth-line forward. It was clear that they wanted more from him and he has yet to be able to deliver on that.
There is certainly time to turn the season around for Jeannot, and he showed that this weekend with a goal in his first game back from the suspension. Maybe it is a sign of things to come but when players like Samuel Helenius has been able to make more of an impact, it doesn't seem likely.