The recent blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars should be viewed as somewhat of a surprise, considering that the former second overall pick had just completed only his third NHL season with the Boston Bruins. That being said, Seguin's alleged hard-partying ways and social media irresponsibility didn't sit well with the Bruins' disciplined off-ice system. Trading Seguin makes sense to a degree for the contending Bruins, who haven't been forced to rush Seguin to the NHL the same way the rebuilding Oilers have with their recent first overall picks. With that in mind, it's a wonder Seguin was able to score 67 points (29g-38a) in his sophomore season while averaging under 17 minutes of icetime per game.
Perhaps a slight decline in production played a role in Seguin's departure, as he would have averaged only 55 points if the NHL played a full season last season, plus an underwhelming 8 points in 22 playoff games. However, with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci firmly entrenched as the Bruins' top two centers, Seguin's only hope of top-6 minutes would rest on a move to the right side, away from his natural center position. The good news about the move to Dallas is that Seguin is expected to move back to center, with natural winger Jamie Benn moving away from the center position. Expect new Stars' coach Lindy Ruff to match Seguin and Benn together on the Stars' top line, possibly alongside this year's first-round pick Valeri Nichushkin (provided he doesn't summon his inner Ilya Kovalchuk by staying in Russia).
Considering that Seguin never averaged more than 17 minutes of icetime per game in his three seasons with Boston, he seems ready for a huge boost in icetime with his new team. Increased minutes mean the potential for more points plus more power-play points (24 PPP over his three seasons in Boston), but his double-digit plus/minus (+57 over his last two seasons) seems unlikely for a Stars team that will probably be a bubble playoff team yet again. A total of 60 points over a full season seems like a strong bet, with the upside for a lot more if he and Benn find the right chemistry. Seguin still has significant keeper value, although for purely selfish reasons I'll be praying that Ruff experiments with him enough at the thinner RW position in order to maintain eligibility at that position (I already have an abundance of centers on my keeper team).
Would a rebound season in Dallas mean that the Bruins gave up too soon? If so, expect the Joe Thornton references to resurface, not to mention rumblings from Leafland that they in fact won the Phil Kessel trade. But can a team be rewarded by being patient with a talented yet immature player? Look no further than the results Patrick Kane and P.K. Subban last season. This trade could come back to haunt the Bruins if they fail to hoist a Stanley Cup sometime over the next few seasons.
Next, I'll look at the Seguin trade from a Boston perspective and also attempt to describe what the addition of Jarome Iginla could mean for the Bruins.
Ian, if you had a choice of keeping five of the following in the round drafted which 5 and why? Nicklas Backstrom WASH (5th). H Sedin (8th). Giroux (11th). RNH (12th). Schneider (14th) Seguin (15th). I too have a center heavy keeper contingent and goalie stats are 5 of the ten cats.
ReplyDeleteHi VQ,
ReplyDeleteI would let Backstrom go and keep the others, assuming that I have understood the rules correctly and you will receive a 5th round pick by not keeping him. He is a center and you will be able to choose a better player in the 5th round that you would in one of the later rounds. Age might become a factor for Sedin, but a point-per-game player is difficult to pass up for an 8th rounder.