The Bruins’ signing of free-agent forward Tanner Jeannot signals the beginning of a new era in Boston.
During Sunday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman discussed how the Bruins’ signing of Tanner Jeannot to a five-year $17 million contract could raise concerns for some fans.
But unlike the David Backes contract, Jeannot’s long-term deal does not come with a cap hit that could hamstring the Bruins from building a winning team.
But beyond Jeannot’s contract itself, his signing signals the end of an era. As Friedman pointed out, the days of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand are over. Now, the team belongs to David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.
Friedman declared:
“There’s a big change going on in the Bruins. The team has finally turned over from the Chara, Bergeron, Marchand years. Like, Marchand was the last of that group, really. Now, it’s McAvoy. It’s Pastrnak.”
That comment underscores just how much the club has changed since it last won the Stanley Cup in 2011. The Bruins will be counting on Pastrnak and McAvoy to lead the team’s new core back to the playoffs following a forgettable season in 2024-25.
Jeannot Brings Hard Work to Bruins’ Lineup
One of the key points Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas pointed out was Jeannot’s reputation for being a hard worker and fitness enthusiast. Those traits bring an ethic to the team that’s needed to help the Bruins take this transformational period and imprint a new identity to the lineup.
Moreover, Jeannot’s reputation for being a hard worker is something that the Bruins will need to complement the type of play that Mark Kastelic also brings to the lineup. Friedman pointed out that any team looking to reach the Stanley Cup will need to go through the Florida Panthers to get there.
So, the Bruins, like any other Eastern Conference team, will need to be a tough, hard-nosed club to take on the Florida Panthers.
Physicality and Toughness Define Jeannot
Another key point both Friedman and Bukauskas highlighted was how Jeannot gives the Bruins additional physicality and toughness. In particular, Friedman underscored how the club could ask defenseman Nikita Zadorov to refrain from engaging opponents and focus more on playing his position.
Jeannot, along with Kastelic, can take care of the physical duty, fighting opponents if need be. That’s a crucial point, as the Bruins have always been as a highly physical team to play.
But the roster turnover removed some of those physical elements from the team. That’s why the Bruins were willing to outbid other clubs, like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators, to land Jeannot.
Friedman concluded his line of thought by underscoring how the Bruins want to be a “tough out” this upcoming season. That statement means the Bruins aim to become a team that will be hard to play against.
If the Bruins return to the playoffs, any team facing them in the first round could be in for one of the toughest series in their entire postseason run.
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