Boston Bruins: Revisiting Tyler Seguin Trade
Boston Bruins: Remembering Tyler Seguin Trade
The Boston Bruins are set to face off against Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Seguin, of course, was traded to Dallas in the 2013 offseason in a blockbuster deal that has left Bruins faithful distraught even to this day. The return for Seguin was underwhelming at the time and the potential for a then-21-year-old was astronomical. While it may be hard to read (and it was no easier to write), here is a recap of the Seguin trade and an update on all of the pieces involved.
A Star in the Making
For starters, it’s important to note that Seguin was the second overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Bruins received the selection as a part of the deal that saw Phil Kessel get shipped to Toronto. Seguin was a potential first-overall player. He and Taylor Hall were both potential franchise talent coming out of the draft, but the Oilers ultimately saw Hall as the future face of their franchise – this left Seguin for the Bruins to grab – a result that worked for them immediately as Seguin demonstrated great skill in the playoffs en route to a Stanley Cup victory in 2011.
Remembering the Trade
The Bruins, however, ultimately decided to move on from Seguin for reasons that have never fully been explained. Whether it was underperformance in the playoffs or a reported issue of partying, Seguin was shipped out of Boston. It was something that should have never happened, but the Bruins have had to deal with it ever since.
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The deal saw Seguin, Rich Peverley and defensive prospect Ryan Button sent to Dallas in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Joe Morrow and Matt Fraser. Here’s a look at each of the pieces involved, and an update on each as of Feb. 26, 2017 ahead of the Bruins matchup with the Dallas Stars.
Tyler Seguin – The One Who Got Away
Seguin has gone on to be one of the very best players in the NHL. Prior to being traded, Seguin played in 203 games with the Bruin. In that time, he scored 56 goals and 121 points. His best season came in 2011-12, his sophomore season when he recorded 29 goals and 67 points. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound center was playing primarily right wing with the Bruins, but despite this, he was still showcasing a tremendous offensive skill set that rivaled the best players in the league. The real kicker was the fact that Seguin was only 21 when he was traded and was not even close to entering his prime years yet.
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Seguin won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in his first season. Though he only played in 13 games, he scored three goals and seven points and showed a knack for scoring big goals. Though he’ll forever have a Stanley Cup ring to commemorate his time in Boston, Seguin’s future ultimately was destined to be with the Dallas Stars.
The Trade
When Seguin was traded to the Stars, the city of Boston was in an uproar. It isn’t every day that a talented 21-year-old is traded, and as is often the case, the team trading away the best player was ultimately the loser in the deal.
Since being traded, Seguin has played in 284 games. In that time, he’s scored 128 goals and 293 points. In his first season in Dallas, Seguin scored 37 goals and 84 points in just 80 games while also recording a plus-16 rating. His second season was just as successful, scoring 37 goals and 77 points in just 71 games. He went on to score 33 goals and 73 points in 72 games last season, continuing his streak of at least 30 goals and 70 points each year with the Stars. This season, the 25-year-old has 21 goals and 59 points in 61 games on a disappointing Stars team that will surely build around Seguin and captain Jamie Benn for years to come.
Seguin has become a bonafide superstar in the NHL, though that came as a surprise to absolutely no one. At just 25 years old, Seguin’s best years are still ahead of him – something that will haunt the Bruins for years to come.
Rich Peverley – Forever Immortalized in Boston
When the Bruins acquired Rich Peverley, they were giving away a very talented player in Blake Wheeler and a capable defenseman in Mark Stuart in the process. Peverley, however, was a key cog in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup run, so it’s hard to argue with the move to acquire him in retrospect. In his first full season with the Bruins, Peverley scored 11 goals and 42 points in 57 games. His second season, however, showed a significant regression when he scored just six goal and 18 points in 47 games. Still, his two-way game and ability to slot anywhere in the lineup were of value to the Bruins. He wasn’t a significant piece moving in the deal, but his contributions in Boston will never be forgotten – regardless of how short his stint was in Beantown.
After being acquired by the Dallas Stars, Peverley dealt with some very big life obstacles. He went on to play for 62 games with the Stars, recording seven goals and 30 points.
Peverley’s Collapse
Unfortunately, Peverley’s time in Dallas and the NHL was cut short. During a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Peverley collapsed on the bench. The Stars did their best to get the attention of the referees, but it was to no avail. Eventually, players had to hop over the boards and onto the ice to force the officials to see what was going on – a tragedy, for certain.
Peverley underwent surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat, but he’s never played a game since. The situation was a scary one, and though Peverley was never able to lace up his skates again, his story has been told, and he was able to make a full recovery thanks to the work of the medical personnel in Dallas. Peverley will forever be immortalized as a Stanley Cup Champion, and he now works with the Stars as the Player Development Coordinator.
Ryan Button – The Forgotten Piece
Ryan Button was a third-round pick of the Bruins in 2009. After playing for two seasons in the WHL, Button was seen as a potential offensive-defenseman, despite being used in a defensive role throughout his career. Button never ended up making it to the NHL with Boston, spending time split between the Providence Bruins in the AHL, as well as the Reading Royals and South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.
When Button was traded to the Stars, it was a potential new start for him as well. At just 21 years old, he was still just starting his career in hopes of making an NHL roster someday. Button ended up playing in 26 games with the Texas Stars in the AHL the year he was traded, as well as 33 games with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. After the conclusion of his contract that season, Button signed with the Iserlohn Roosters in Germany. He’s been playing in Germany ever since and has compiled 16 goals and 72 points in 147 games. It’s unclear if he’ll ever get his chance to play in the NHL, but as of now, he seems destined to be the forgotten piece of the deal that sent Seguin to Dallas.
Loui Eriksson – An Underrated Star
Loui Eriksson has long been one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Prior to being traded to the Bruins, Eriksson went on a tear in Dallas for four consecutive seasons. From 2008 until the end of the 2011-12 season, Eriksson posted four seasons with at least 25 goals and 63 points, including three with 70 points each. He played in a total of 501 games in Dallas, scoring 150 goals and 357 points before being traded to Boston.
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Eriksson’s first season with the Bruins was hampered by concussions and was limited due to Eriksson’s usage. With fellow Swedish player Carl Soderberg on the team, Eriksson was used on the team’s third line alongside Soderberg – something that limited Eriksson’s ice time and offensive ability. He scored just 10 goal and 37 points in 61 games in his first year with the Bruins but had a solid rebound effort in his second season. With 22 goals and 47 points in 81 games, Eriksson started to show signs of his old self.
Gone So Soon
It wasn’t until Eriksson’s final season in Boston, however, that he really shined. In 82 games, Eriksson scored 30 goals and 63 points and showed why he was so highly coveted by the Bruins in a deal that sent one of the league’s best players to Dallas.
The Bruins were ultimately unable to retain Eriksson in the offseason, however, and the veteran winger signed in Vancouver as a result. In 60 games with the Canucks, Eriksson has scored just 11 goals and 22 points despite averaging more ice time than he ever did with both the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins.
Reilly Smith – Good Every Second Season
Reilly Smith looked like another solid piece coming back to the Bruins. He didn’t make up for the subtraction of Seguin, but his play at Miami University for three seasons showed promise. Smith’s first season with the Bruins was a great one. He scored 20 goals and 51 points in 82 games while playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Smith gelled instantly with the two, allowing them to play their accountable two-way game while joining the rush and contributing with his solid offensive skill set. His second season in Boston, however, was a disappointment at best. Smith scored just 13 goals and 40 points in 81 games and was ultimately moved to Florida along with Marc Savard for Jimmy Hayes.
His first season in Florida reflected similar results to his first in Boston – 25 goals, 50 points in 80 games with a plus-19 rating. Unfortunately, his second season in Florida has also shown similarities to his second in Boston. Smith has played in 58 games this season and has scored 10 goals and just 27 points.
Joe Morrow – Time Running Out in Boston
Morrow is a former first-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was sent to the Dallas Stars, conveniently, for former captain Brenden Morrow at the 2013 Trade Deadline. Joe Morrow ultimately went on to be moved again as a result of the Seguin trade after playing in just nine games with the Texas Stars – recording a goal and four points.
Morrow has since been in and out of the Bruins lineup, playing in just 65 games over three seasons. He’s also seen some time in the AHL, and though he’s shown the potential to be a legitimate NHL player one day, he simply hasn’t been able to put it all together consistently yet at this point in his career.
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Morrow is someone the Bruins could look to move on from sooner than later simply because his place on the team looks lost. With six defensemen all penciled into the roster ahead of him and a slew of defensive prospects on the way, Morrow’s chances of cracking the roster are diminishing each and every day. Though he had potential to be a solid player with the Bruins, he wasn’t able to find his game soon enough to make an impact.
Matt Fraser – Overseas Journey
Matt Fraser played in 13 games in the NHL before being included in the Seguin deal. He recorded one goal and three points in that time, averaging 11:!1 of ice time and recording 18 shots. When he was traded to Boston, he showed some promise as a bottom-six player. In 38 games, he scored five goals and no assists, but his desire to play in the NHL was evident. Fraser was eventually placed on waivers, resulting in the Oilers claiming him and playing him for 36 games when he scored five goals and nine points in 2014-15.
Fraser played in the AHL for a bit with the Manitoba Moose and Rockford IceHogs in 2015-16. Unfortunately, he was ultimately unable to crack an NHL roster and left to play in Sweden with Rogle BK.
One Final Review
Despite receiving a defensive prospect who never played a game and a player who played in just 62 games in Dallas, the Stars proved to be the ultimate winners of the deal from a sheer point perspective. Even when they sent four players to the Bruins in return – all of whom have played in over 60 NHL contests.
Between Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Joe Morrow and Matt Fraser, the Bruins accumulated 490 games, 102 goals, 150 assists and 252 points. The Stars, on the other hand, accumulated 346 games, 135 goals, 188 assists and 323 points between Seguin, Peverley and Button.
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Before ever doing the math, it was clear the Bruins lost the deal. In fact, it was pretty clear the second the trade was announced that the Bruins were likely going to regret this deal for years to come. Fast forward four years and the deal has only looked worse for a Boston team still looking to find its identity.