The Maturation of Tyler Seguin

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Every now and then a trade occurs that makes you pause. When the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins completed the Tyler Seguin-Loui Eriksson swap many wondered why the Bruins would make such a move. Most were aware of Seguin’s off the ice issues in Boston. Still, few understood why the Bruins would trade away the former 2nd overall pick after just 3 years in the league. Well, Boston’s curious decision has been the Stars potential franchise-changing gain.

Seguin has flourished with the Stars. He’s on pace for career highs in goals and points. More importantly, the chemistry he’s displayed with Jaime Benn has been obvious. On and off the ice the two are inseparable. The line of Benn, Seguin and rookie Valeri Nichushkin was a major reason for the Stars early success. Nichusskin has slumped recently but the the future of the Stars is clearly in good hands with the trio.

While Seguin has provided excellent play on the ice, it’s off the ice where he has shown the greatest maturation. With Boston, the feeling around the league was that Seguin sometimes seemed more interested in extra curricular activities than his actual play. However, when you listen to his teammates in Dallas you hear a different story.

"“He goes out about half as much as I’ve expected a kid his age to… I haven’t seen a single thing that warrants any of the stuff that was written about him when he was in Boston. I don’t know, maybe he did want to come here and want to change a little bit, but the kid was 20 years old, he had a Stanley Cup, he signed a big deal … In a lot of ways I blame the organization for not helping squash that. But that’s in the past for him, he’s become outstanding.”-Shawn Horcoff to the Edmonton Sun"

In his short time with Dallas Seguin has proven he can be a #1 center. For a team that hasn’t had a top centerman since Brad Richards signed with the New York Rangers this cannot be understated. The Pittsburgh Penguins, LA Kings, and Chicago Blackhawks have all proven you need to be strong down the middle to win in the NHL. The Stars have their first piece of that puzzle.

It’s still very early in Seguin’s time with the Stars and much can change. However, the organization and fans alike have to be excited about the direction of the franchise. One of the biggest reasons why is Tyler Seguin.