The thought had crossed my mind the moment the Tyler Seguin came up as a possible trade option. Tyler Seguin is very popular on social media. Why? He’s really good looking, and he’s a twenty one year old millionaire who plays professional sports for a living. Seguin even made a buzz when he went over to Switzerland to play for EHC Biel-Bienne. He had an outstanding semi-season there playing with future rival, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.
Then Seguin came back to Boston, and he had a decent season. He put up sixteen goals and thirty two points(good enough to be tied for third overall in points with Patrice Bergeron). He skated most of the abbreviated season with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The success that Seguin had in the regular season failed him in the playoffs. He put in only a single goal during the Stanley Cup run, and was outshone by players like Gregory Campbell and Torey Krug. (Both who played less games than Seguin, but were within a point or two overall. Campbell and Krug had also scored more goals than Seguin.) There had been rumblings in the media that Seguin was ‘distracted’, and perhaps that was one of the reasons that his game play was affected.
After seeing what has occurred during the draft, it appears that the Bruins General Manager has decided NOT to trade Tyler Seguin to any other NHL team at this time. With Horton testing free agency, I’m sure that last thing Chiarelli wanted to do is break up multiple lines that performed well last season. (Sadly, as much as I want to sing the praises of his work on the Bergeron line, he did better as a supporting player on the improvised Chris Kelly line with Daniel Paille.) Chiarelli had some strong words for Seguin delivered via an interview with the Boston Globe.
“He’s got to commit his mind and focus to the one task at hand,” Chiarelli said. “He’s got to become more of a professional. You know what? I can say that about a lot of 21-year-olds. I know he got criticized for playing on the periphery and all that stuff. He did. He’s got to commit to being a professional and focusing on the game. Simple as that. He does that, we don’t expect him to be crashing and banging. Just play your game.”
I’m sure Tyler Seguin will take this, learn from it, and be a better player for Boston in the 2013-14 season.
Apr 2, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Tyler Seguin (19) hands a young fan a stick after defeating the Ottawa Senators 3-2 at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports