Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Puck Prose
The Boston Bruins traded Tyler Seguin in 2013 and it was a decision that has haunted them ever since. One of the more infamous trades in hockey history, Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins general manager at the time, decided that Tyler Seguin wasn’t fit to be a member of the Boston Bruins due to his own lifestyle choices. Unfortunately for the Boston Bruins, Peter Chiarelli didn’t haul in the return that one would deem appropriate for a player of Tyler Seguin‘s caliber, and Bruins President Cam Neely is inclined to agree. “Some (trades) you look at and say, jeez, maybe you didn’t get enough, or the return wasn’t quite what it should have been,” Neely said. “Some, you’re happy with the outcome”. He also added “Every team probably could look at every trade and pick it apart.” While he’s not wrong about looking at every trade and finding some sort of downside or flaw, they usually don’t involve elite 21 year old talent.
“I think looking back, we probably could have done some things differently with Tyler,” Neely said. “You’ve got a young kid coming in, maybe we could have handled his living arrangements a little different and stuff like that, that we’ve talked about over the years. It’s something we certainly are addressing currently, and in the future we will continue to address.” The Bruins have had issues with a few young stars who have gone on to have success in other cities in the past. The most notables include players such as Joe Thornton (who in all fairness did have a very good career as a member of the Boston Bruins before being traded), Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, and if he pans out, the next could be Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins could certainly do a better job at appeasing some of their younger talent and surrounding them with the support needed when dealing with the jump to the NHL, especially in a market as passionate as Boston’s.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Tyler Seguin waited two years to finally speak publicly about his trade from the city, but more specifically the reaction from the media and fans. “I think the real tough thing was being able to keep my mouth shut,” he said. “That was real difficult after the trade happened, seeing all the other things that were going on.” Seguin definitely showed some maturity by not speaking out about the situation, especially given his “reputation” that the Bruins and the media were portraying. “I had radio stations and newspapers where people were asking me if I wanted to post an article just saying my story. Seeing all the ‘Behind the B’ stuff and that footage, it was tough. I used it more as motivation and just said, I’ll use my words on the ice.” Seguin certainly has used his words on the ice by posting consecutive 37 goal seasons and currently tying for the league lead with Jamie Benn by posting an astounding eight goals and 12 assists in just 13 games.
“Obviously he’s a hell of a player, and he’s got all kinds of skill,” Neely said. “He skates really well and he can really rip the puck.” He went on to say“ It’s one of those things where you knew he had all that skill, and you knew he would do well in the league, but that’s kind of history now.” History that the Bruins unfortunately cannot rewrite, no matter how much they wish they could.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports