A lot has been said about the July 4th trade that landed Stars forward Loui Eriksson with the Boston Bruins. It’s the same trade that sent Rich Peverley and problem child Tyler Seguin to Dallas. I have more or less been on the fence about this trade, stating only that I hope it works out for us. Last night, I was at one of the local hangouts celebrating my birthday. While there, I got into a very serious, but intelligent discussion over the Seguin-Ericsson trade. We were discussing the work ethic of both players, and what each of them brings to the their new teams.
The conversation quickly boiled down to commitment. What does Loui Ericsson bring to the Bruins? The answer can be compressed into one word: Commitment. Loui Eriksson has been training all summer. (To be completely fair, I can’t say anything good or bad about Tyler Seguin’s commitment to the Stars at this point.) Ericsson came into the captain’s practice committed to learning the system from his fellow players. He’s already seemed to have made a name for himself amongst his fellow members of the Black and Gold.
He is the most prominent new arrival to the Boston Bruins, and he’s making a show to prove to Bruins Nation why he should be amongst the best team in the NHL.(Once again, Tyler Seguin showed up at D/FW airport yesterday, and probably won’t start his practices with the team until at least tomorrow. In my previous experiences in the professional world, I have come in early and stayed late in my first few days to get a feel for the place.) Eriksson came into the practices at Ristuccia with a desire to learn the system. He wants to learn, and he’s willing to get in those corners and chip out a feel for team.
Tyler Seguin is a gifted, talented athlete. (Even Habs fans can acknowledge that.) Sadly, the hockey wunderkind devoted a lot of his free time to having a good time. From my compatriots at the Dallas site, Blackout Dallas, it’s clear that Loui Eriksson is already missed in the Stars organization. (Save for the young ladies who cried taking off their Seguin jerseys, that sort of love doesn’t seem to exist here in Boston.)
The Loui Eriksson trade will likely be one of those trades that resonates with the Bruins organization for years to come. If (however unlikely)Eriksson fails, it will be seen as an indictment against the Chiarelli administration. Personally, I don’t see that happening. Once again, the Bruins home office dug down deep to address a problem that was affecting their organization, and made a correct action for the good of the franchise. Why? Commitment.
Eriksson wants this to work. He’s the player giving all he has to learn a whole new system. In the end, Eriksson’s commitment to hockey and his new team will make a lot more sense for the organization and the fan base.