All of Boston, including its many commuters, are hoping to see Jeannot get pushy on the ice as the Bruins strive to become a harder team to play against than they were a season ago.
General manager Don Sweeney has stated that “being an easy out” is not something he can tolerate. and Jeannot’s size (6 feet 2 inches, 221 pounds), physicality, and energy should go a long way to remedying that.
Jeannot was buzzing around in Monday night’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers, playing left wing on a heavy fourth line with Sean Kuraly in the middle and Alex Steeves on the right.
Jeannot introduced himself to the NHL in 2021-22, when he collected 24 goals and 41 points as a rookie with the Predators.
Undrafted after four seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League, he signed with Nashville in 2018, and did stints in the AHL (Milwaukee and Chicago) and the ECHL (Florida) before getting the call to the big stage in Music City.
Though he agreed his story is one of perseverance, Jeannot was quick to point out that everyone endures something on the way to the NHL.
“It’s so hard. It’s such a hard league to make, and it’s an accomplishment for anybody that ever makes it here,” said Jeannot. “But all the roads are different, and mine, I just kind of went through being a little bit unnoticed and then just trying to make the most of my opportunities, getting into camps, and trying to just make my presence be felt and do what I can do, maybe do what I can do to stand out in each of the opportunities that I have. It’s got me here today and I just want to continue to grow as a player and keep getting better and better and keep building my game and do everything I can here in Boston.”
Boston has been a destination that has always caught Jeannot’s eye, and he was pumped to find out the Bruins had been eyeing him leading up to free agency.
Jeannot described the free agency process as “crazy.”
“You go from ending the year and then getting home and getting settled and really having time to think about it to, ‘Boom,’ it’s already here and where are we going to be going?” he said. “I think Boston was always kind of a place that played a style that I feel like I try to embody. So even throughout the years playing against them, it’s like, ‘Oh, I think I could be a really good fit in a place like this.’ So, when we found out that they were interested, it definitely piqued my interest, and I just kind of went through some talks and figured it was going to be a really good fit. So, yeah, it happened quick, it just happens a lot at once. So, it feels like it’s happening quick in the moment, but now I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”
Jeannot comes with the versatility to play roles in the top six or bottom six. In either, his physicality gives his linemates room to create offense.
“Being physical, winning puck battles, being good down low, and just getting the puck back for my team and having a possession game, it’s always a lot more fun playing with the puck on your team stick than chasing it around,” said Jeannot. “So, that’s what I like to do. I like to get in hard on the forecheck, get the pucks, and then just create some space for my teammates.”
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The Bruins return to practice Wednesday and will travel to Washington for a preseason game Thursday night. They will be back in D.C. Oct. 7 for the regular-season opener … The home opener is a day later against the Blackhawks.