The Nashville Predators continue to strike gold — no pun intended — with Tanner Jeannot. Somehow, this undrafted player keeps lighting up the score sheet as an important part of the “herd line”, and of course is an integral part of the team’s future.
But the question is, could Jeannot take on an even bigger role? He already has 18 goals as a member of the bottom six with limited ice time, and with better offensive producers on the top lines, he could light it up even more.
There are many questions still surrounding this Nashville Predators team as they enter the final two months of the regular season, and still very much in the midst of a grinding postseason race.
The Predators love the herd line the way it is, but they might want to consider slightly switching it in order to maximize their potential as a team.
Nashville Predators can make easy switch of two players
One player who has been in the top-six all year is Luke Kunin, who has mostly played with Ryan Johansen. Head Coach John Hynes must be keeping Kunin up there due to what he did last year, because his 19 points in 53 games have not justified him earning the spot.
Jeannot, who has 32 points in the same amount of games, has been a more prolific producer in a bottom six role. In terms of making an impact in other areas of the ice, he has clearly been the better player of the two.
Switching Jeannot and Kunin in the lineup would be a good idea because it can be done without having to mess with the structures of each line.
Jeannot and Kunin play a very similar style, and it would be especially important for the herd line to still be able to keep their identity.
Aside from that, Hynes put Jeannot with Johansen and Philip Tomasino earlier in the season, and it worked well. Jeannot was able to get opportunities and showcase his speed off the rush, and of course, he got the goals and assists to show for it.
Letting this trio go at it again would be a huge boost for the top six, which already has been much better this year than in previous years.
Additionally, Jeannot and the Predators will benefit if he gets a spot on their top power play unit. His net-front presence and scoring ability makes him a force while on the man advantage, and he has proven to be effective many times. We even saw it in the Stadium Series when Jeannot crashed the net on the power play to get the Nashville Predators on the board.
Just when you think Jeannot is continuing to get better, he continues to get better, and he is developing into a serious cornerstone for the Predators and their future.
Jeannot has earned the chance to take on a bigger role for this team, and will get it in due time, especially if the Nashville Predators decide to be active buyers at the trade deadline.