Despite rumors that Tyler Seguin trade talks fell silent after Nathan Horton‘s departure from Boston, the Bruins have now struck a deal to send the 21-year old winger to Dallas. Seguin will head to the Stars in a seven player deal.
He will be joined in Dallas by winger Rich Peverley and prospect Ryan Button, while Loui Eriksson will head to Boston along with three prospects including 2011 first round pick Joe Morrow, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Despite being just one season removed from leading the Bruins in both goals and points as a 20-year-old, Tyler Seguin’s short stay in Boston has come to a rather surprising end. Drafted second overall by the Bruins in 2010, Seguin failed to convince Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli that he was mature enough to become the face of the franchise.
Seguin’s production dropped off this season, adding up to a meager 16 goals and 32 points. He scored just one goal in 22 playoff games, leading Chiarelli to shop him ahead of the draft. When draft day came and went without a trade, it seemed as if the rumors might have been little more than a motivation tactic on behalf of the Bruins organization who hoped to finally tap Seguin’s tremendous potential.
However, it is now clear that they were serious all along. Perhaps the Bruins were simply waiting for the right deal. At the moment it looks like they got spectacular value from new Stars GM Jim Nill, who recently moved south after many successful years with the Detroit Red Wings.
The 27-year old Eriksson could finally earn the recognition he’s long deserved in the Boston spotlight. A superb two-way winger who can play on the powerplay and the penalty kill, Eriksson has flown under the radar in Dallas for years. Though his numbers slipped a bit this season, he surpassed the 70 point plateau in each of the three previous seasons. He also showed off his skills with 10 points 10 games en route to a world championship for his native Sweden in May.
He should fit in Bruins coach Claude Julien‘s system far better than Seguin with his high compete-level. Potentially combined with Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, Eriksson should be highly efficient.
The Bruins also get highly touted prospect Joe Morrow in the deal. The 20-year old defenseman was selected 23rd overall by the Penguins in the 2011 draft, and he should challenge for an NHL roster spot soon. With Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton unlikely to return to Providence for long if at all, Morrow is now arguably Boston’s top prospect. Wingers Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser may also get a chance in Boston soon enough.
Bruins fans will be sad to lose the versatile Rich Peverley, who helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup in 2011, but the 30-year old Peverley failed to justify his $3.25 million cap hit with an awful 2013 season. His exit will now give the Bruins the opportunity to chase big time targets in free agency.
Although they have yet to lock up the Tuukka Rask, the Bruins now have $9 million in cap space, suggesting that Daniel Alfredsson or Jarome Iginla could arrive in the next few days. If Boston does manage to bring in someone to play on the right wing, they will look like major winners in this deal.
Of course uncertainty remains on both sides, but the deal seems to improve Boston’s chances of winning now while simultaneously brightening their future. Dallas meanwhile adds depth in Peverley and a potential superstar in Seguin, who still has plenty of time to reach his potential.
