( Photo Credit: Brian Babineau / Boston Bruins )

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

Flashing back to the offseason, the Boston Bruins signed Tanner Jeannot to help enforce their future attack plan as a team. General Manager Don Sweeney believes the team needs enough physicality to make opponents think twice before targeting smaller players.

So far, Jeannot has brought weight and snarl to whichever line he’s on, making it a good start. With Jeannot’s slower pace offset by his physical presence and softer hands, lineup construction suggests he fits best in a fourth line role. However, the team has more often slotted him on the third line rather than the fourth, sparking a dynamic between the overall attack plan and how to maximize an individual player’s value.

Recently, Jeannot’s third line role has been complemented by Casey Mittelstadt and Matthew Poitras. His physicality around Poitras appears to open more opportunities for the young skater, giving him extra space to create and less concern about incoming opponents.

But will that be enough for this third line combination to produce when none of the players are known to shoot? Freeing up Poitras won’t matter much if the entire line can only create for one another. For a young player like Poitras to thrive, Jeannot’s presence should be paired with a shooting threat so that the line’s creativity translates to the scoreboard.

If Jeannot is on a fourth line with players like Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic, their similar roles mesh better with the tone fourth lines typically try to set. The National Hockey League has seen many similar fourth line styles work and flourish due to the universal physicality each forward brings.

This would help Jeannot stay true to his game and prevent him from trying to be something he’s not. Yes, he scored 24 goals with the Nashville Predators in the 2021-22 season, but the Bruins’ depleted depth and his wear and tear suggest replicating that feat would be a miracle. You don’t lose Jeannot’s presence by putting him on a lower line; opponents remember his physicality all the same.

The regular season lineup for the Bruins isn’t set, but it’s interesting to see how Head Coach Marco Sturm has arranged things so far. A heavy player like Jeannot can ease things mentally for someone like Poitras, but is that conducive to maximizing his contract, and is the team truly setting him up for success on a line combination like that?

With a player like Jeannot, you’re already seeing the initial dynamics of a franchise plan that must be thoroughly thought through. The Bruins need to ensure that the space Jeannot creates for others is being used wisely, or the plan in place could falter. If that space is being used to capitalize on scoring chances, this offseason signing could be considered a success.