Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

PHT’s top 13 of ’13: Seguin traded, all the stories come out

Tyler Seguin

Tyler Seguin speaks at a press conference where he was introduced as a NHL hockey player for the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Tuesday, July 8, 2013. AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

AP

The whispers started a day before the draft. The Boston Bruins, fresh off a Stanley Cup Final loss, were apparently taking trade calls on Tyler Seguin.

At the time, the rumors were dismissed by many as an attempt by general manager Peter Chiarelli to give Seguin a wake-up call. And when Chiarelli came out and said the 21-year-old needed to “become more of a professional,” it sounded like the second overall pick in 2010 would be staying in black and gold. Otherwise, why say such a thing?

Then, a few days later, the blockbuster was announced -- Seguin was dealt to Dallas, along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button, in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow.

Not long after that, all the stories started to come out. The Bruins, according to one report, had to sit down with Seguin during the playoffs to address his partying. There was even talk security guards had to be hired to keep him in his hotel room. At which point Seguin’s mom became part of the story. Then, as if all that wasn’t enough, there was that “unfortunate” Twitter incident.

While the passage of time hasn’t completely stopped the Seguin stories from emerging. it all does seem like a blur now. Looking back, it remains unclear if the talented forward was traded mostly due to his off-ice activities, or if it was more about a speed-and-skill style that didn’t mesh with the Bruins’ hard-nosed, powerful approach. Perhaps the former helped convince the Bruins’ brass of the latter, or vice-versa.

Whatever the main reason he’s in Dallas today, Seguin is thriving. Playing alongside 24-year-old Jamie Benn and 18-year-old Valeri Nichushkin, his 37 points lead the club and rank 12th in the NHL, tying him with the likes of Martin St. Louis and Erik Karlsson.

“We’ve got a core group of players that are all under the age of 25 and 26 and under,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill after landing Seguin, “and I think that’s going to be great for him to grow in with the rest of these players and help create a great environment down here for us.”