Seguin Traded to the Stars

Well, I was genuinely shocked when I read this news. Seguin was traded along with Peverley and Button for Loui Eriksson and three prospects. My initial response was anger, feeling that we gave up too quickly on a budding superstar. To get a sense of my reaction, here's a glimpse of the Twitter rant I went on:

 
After a full day to digest it, I hate it less than I originally did. Loui Eriksson is a fantastic player; he's got great hands, he's quick, he can play either wing, he can score, and he's great on special teams. If he wasn't stuck in Dallas his whole career he would be much more well known. Bruins fans are going to like him a lot, and he's the kind of player that Chiarelli and Julien drool over. The only knock I can really think of is that he isn't overly physical, but he isn't "soft" like Kessel and Seguin got hounded for.

Another plus is that they got rid of the terrible Peverley contract. He's a good, smart player and helpful to any roster. He was just overpaid by about a million and a half. And Ryan Button is nothing to lose out on, he was a solid prospect for a while but pretty irrelevant now. Additionally, the prospects the Bruins got back in the deal are very solid and could all contribute in Boston in the coming years.

Value-wise, I'm okay with this trade. And I like the message they sent: this is a win now team and they can't afford to wait for anyone to come around, not even a second overall pick.

However, I still think they gave up on Seguin too quickly. All of the points I made on Twitter I think are still valid. I'm terrified that Seguin's going to be the superstar we thought he was going to be in a couple years and we'll be watching from Boston as he racks up 90+ points a year in Dallas.

But I also think there's more to this trade. Chiarelli commented on Seguin's need to grow up and mature. What 21 year old with money like that wouldn't go a little crazy? Still, no excuses for him. Patrick Kane does the same thing, but he elevates his game when it matters. I think this might be one of those things where we start hearing stories come out in the coming weeks or months about something that might have happened behind the scenes with Seguin. Maybe a bad conversation, a final straw, an ultimatum. We'll see.

For now, welcome to Boston, Loui Eriksson. Expectations are high.