Tampa Bay Lightning fans have experienced an unordinary start to the 2024 season. The club has more overtime losses than regulation losses and sits in the first Wildcard spot of the Eastern Conference. However, one of their trade deadline acquisitions, Tanner Jeannot, is flying under the radar through nine games.
Tanner Jeannot’s Performance Moving in Right Direction
Rewind to Last Season: The Trade and Tanner Jeannot’s Performance
General Manager Julien BriseBois isn’t afraid to risk future assets for roster pieces. In one of his most significant moves, BriseBois acquired Jeannot from the Nashville Predators during the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. Tampa Bay handed David Poile a boatload of draft picks and former first-round selection Cal Foote. The Jeannot trade created a plethora of backlash around the league. After all, five draft picks and a young defenceman in exchange for a player who hasn’t eclipsed 50 points in their career is a lucrative price.
Once he arrived in Tampa Bay post-trade deadline, Jeannot found zero success. He kicked off his tenure with the Lightning by scoring three points in his first 19 games. Then, in a contest against the New York Islanders, Jeannot suffered an injury to his right leg. He would eventually return to the lineup just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In three playoff games, Jeannot was held pointless.
Fast forward to This Season: Sneaky Good Start
Jeannot’s luck took a turn for the better to start the 2024 campaign. In nine games, Jeannot has two goals and three assists for five points. He already surpassed his point total of four last season with the Lightning in half the number of games played. While Jeannot has improved his production, other signs of positive progress signal hope going forward.
Fans experienced a breakout performance from Jeannot in the most recent game against the Seattle Kraken. He was hands down the best player on the roster for all three periods. After trailing by a score of 2-0 in the first period, Jeannot sparked the Lightning with an immediate response by cashing in on a rebound in front of the net. Furthermore, Jeannot added a secondary assist on a power play goal in the second period. Outside of the two points, Jeannot played fast on the forecheck. Moreover, the Lightning controlled the pace of play with him on the ice.
Jeannot controlled 61.42% of the expected goal share (61.42 xGF%) per Natural Stat Trick. Additionally, Jeannot was on the ice for four high-danger chances on offence and zero against (100 HDCF%). Dom Luszczyszyn at the Athletic releases Hockey Stat Cards to recap player performance. Players are assigned a “game score” based on offence, defence, production, and miscellaneous categories. Jeannot’s 2.42 game score ranked first amongst all Lightning players against Seattle on Tuesday.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Tampa Bay Lightning on 2023-10-30:#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/h569L5BchI
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 31, 2023
Jeannot’s Hidden Attribute: Breakout Puck Movement
We at the LWOS Hockey Department are looking to track roughly 20 games of microstats for the Lightning throughout the season. In the first two games of the season, Jeannot proved a hidden attribute of his to be true from other tracking projects. Corey Sznajder at All Three Zones tracks defensive zone retrievals and exits. One attribute that sticks out for Jeannot is his ability to break the puck out of the zone, and the results align with our tracking project here at Last Word.
In 189 minutes tracked during the 2023 season, Jeannot ranked in the 78th percentile of successful zone exit percentage amongst forwards. In addition, he placed in the 89th percentile of successful puck retrieval percentage. The season prior, Jeannot ranked in the 69th percentile of exits with possession.
Jeannot’s success on the breakout continues to be prominent in our tracking project. In two games, Jeannot completed three cross-ice, three breakout passes to the middle, and one to the perimeter. All three of these totals rank first amongst all Lightning forwards. Jeannot’s ability to break out of his zone helps keep the Lightning from being trapped in their end and producing more offense. He will only continue to improve his overall game with time.
Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
