Lightning land Jeannot from downsizing Predators

Published

2 years ago

February 27, 2023

admin

11:37 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded for second-year Nashville Predators forward Tanner Jeannot on Sunday in a move that arms one team seeking a fourth straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance while the other continues its transition into a new reality.

A Jeannot trade was thought to be a possibility, but that speculation intensified Sunday when the Predators announced they held him out of a game against the Arizona Coyotes for trade-related reasons.

A few hours later, the Predators sent Jeannot, 25, to the Lightning in exchange for defenseman Cal Foote, their third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2023, a second-round pick in 2024 and a protected 2025 first-round pick.

Acquiring Jeannot achieves a few items for the Lightning. It gives them another two-way, top-nine forward who can contribute in several areas. Though he had just five goals and 14 points on a team struggling to score and fading from the playoff race this season, he was a breakthrough star last season.

In helping Nashville seal a playoff berth in the Western Conference, Jeannot finished with 24 goals and 41 points, playing on several lines for coach John Hynes last season. He also scored two power-play goals, utilizing his 6-foot-2, 208-pound frame in front of the net as the Predators landed in the first round for the eighth straight season.

Jeannot could be used on the second-team power-play unit for Tampa Bay, but he could likely make more of an immediate impact on the penalty-kill units. Prior to the trade, he was second among Predators forwards — and fourth overall — in short-handed ice time this season.

Perhaps his most significant contribution before he even plays a game could be his contract situation. The forward is in the final season of a two-year contract carrying a team-friendly $800,000 cap hit. He will be a pending restricted free agent this offseason. The Lightning can either pay his $750,000 qualifying offer and keep him for one more season or they can take the offseason to negotiate a long-term deal.

As for the Predators, the trade is the latest sign of change. It started Saturday when they traded forward Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets. On Sunday, general manager David Poile, the only GM in franchise history, announced he was stepping down at the end of the season, and former longtime coach Barry Trotz would be returning as his replacement.

Hours later, the Predators traded for Jeannot to accumulate the sort of haul that gives them a starting point for life in the post-Poile era. Foote, 24, who is the son of former NHL defenseman Adam Foote, was a first-round pick in 2017 by the Lightning. He has 15 points in 117 games and will also be a pending restricted free agent at the end of the season.

In terms of draft picks, the Predators will now have a number of options over the next three seasons they can use to either select prospects or utilize as capital in future trades. They will have 11 draft picks in 2023, nine in 2024 and eight in 2025.

Another piece to Jeannot’s game that Tampa Bay may see sooner than later is his potential to land in the penalty box. He finished last season with 130 minutes in penalties, and has 85 this season.

Sports

Sources: Isles hiring Darche from T.B. as new GM

Published

32 mins ago

May 23, 2025

admin

Sources: Isles hiring Darche from T.B. as new GM

May 23, 2025, 01:17 PM ET

The New York Islanders have the man to make the first pick in the draft. Sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that the team is hiring Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche as its new GM.

Darche played parts of nine seasons in the league with five different teams.

He has worked in Tampa Bay’s front office since 2019, helping the Lightning win two Stanley Cups. This will be the 48-year-old’s first general manager job.

Darche takes over for Lou Lamoriello, who was fired this offseason after seven seasons on the job. New York didn’t make the playoffs this season and hasn’t made it past the first round since 2020-21 — when the Islanders lost in the East semifinals to the Lightning.

The Isles lucked out in the draft lottery, jumping from 10th to the first selection. This will be the first time they’ll have the top pick since taking John Tavares in 2009.

Sports

Nill, Cheveldayoff, Zito up for GM of Year Award

Published

32 mins ago

May 23, 2025

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Nill, Cheveldayoff, Zito up for GM of Year Award

Field Level Media

May 23, 2025, 12:01 PM ET

Jim Nill, Kevin Cheveldayoff and Bill Zito have been named finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the NHL announced Friday.

The voting for the award was conducted between league general managers, a panel of executives and media members following the conclusion of the second round of the playoffs.

Nill, 67, has seen his Dallas Stars reach the Western Conference finals for the third straight season. He is a two-time winner of this award (2023, 2024) and five-time finalist

Cheveldayoff, 55, has spent the last 14 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, who captured the Presidents’ Trophy this season. He also was a finalist for the GM of the Year Award in 2018.

Zito, 60, is looking to guide the Florida Panthers to their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He has been a finalist for the GM of the Year Award in three straight years and four of the last five.

Sports

Panthers rout Canes in ECF as Bennett scores 2

Published

32 mins ago

May 23, 2025

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Panthers rout Canes in ECF as Bennett scores 2

ESPN News Services

May 22, 2025, 11:01 PM ET

The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are rolling. The Carolina Hurricanes are reeling.

Sam Bennett scored one of his two goals in Florida’s three-goal first period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves, and the Panthers beat the Hurricanes 5-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk also scored in another tone-setting opening 20 minutes for the Panthers, while Carter Verhaeghe had three assists in the win.

“It might have been natural for us to take a little bit to get going tonight, and it was the exact opposite,” said Tkachuk, whose putaway off the feed from Verhaeghe at the crease marked his first goal since Game 3 of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “It was an unreal start from us. The goals aside, just the way we played in the first period was as good as it gets. Yeah, that’s just a hell of a road trip.”

Florida had already ripped home-ice advantage away Tuesday night with a 5-2 win, the opener in a rematch of the 2023 conference finals swept by the Panthers with four one-goal wins. Florida tightened its grip on the series with this one and now heads back south to host Game 3 on Saturday night.

Bennett scored a second time by skating in to clean up an attempt at the right post in the final minute of the second period to make it 4-0, ending a long shift in Carolina’s end prolonged by Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns being stuck on the ice after breaking his stick. Aleksander Barkov added a goal midway through the third as punctuation.

Bobrovsky had his third shutout of the playoffs this year and the sixth of his career, with Florida’s defense smothering a Carolina team that typically peppers the net with shots but found little daylight.

Florida has won four straight road games by a combined score of 22-4, this time sending Hurricanes fans fleeing for the exits early.

“It’s fun when you’re on the road and it goes quiet,” Verhaeghe said. “It feels like we’re doing our job.”

It wasn’t all great news for Florida. Veteran forward Sam Reinhart was knocked from the game in the first period after taking a hit from Sebastian Aho in the left leg, causing Reinhart’s knee to bend awkwardly.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after the game that Reinhart would be evaluated Friday and that there would be no update on Reinhart’s status until Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.