The Tampa Bay Lightning are bringing Tanner Jeannot back on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.665 million, the club announced Saturday.

Jeannot was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and had a hearing scheduled for July 24. He's coming off a two-year pact with an $800,000 cap hit.

The Lightning acquired the winger in a controversial trade with the Nashville Predators five days before this past season's deadline. Tampa Bay gave up five draft picks, including a top-10 protected 2025 first-rounder, and defenseman Cal Foote, receiving only Jeannot in return.

The 26-year-old impressed with the Preds as a rookie in 2021-22. He produced 24 goals and 17 assists (collecting all but three tallies and one helper at even strength) while amassing 318 hits (second-most in the NHL) and 64 blocked shots. And he did it while averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time over 81 contests.

Jeannot led all rookies in goals and hits but finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting.

However, his 19.4% shooting rate in that campaign signalled looming offensive regression - and it arrived in 2022-23. Jeannot registered only five goals and nine assists across 56 games with Nashville before the trade, and just one tally and three helpers over 20 games with the Bolts. His shooting rate plummeted to 5.6% on the season.

Jeannot did continue to offer his usual contributions at the other end of the ice, racking up a combined 290 hits (sixth-most in the league) and 62 blocked shots in 76 contests with the two squads. But he did so while his average ice time dwindled by around one minute with Nashville and then by three more minutes to a mere 11:55 with Tampa.

The Predators signed Jeannot to a three-year, entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent in April 2018.

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