On the fourth year anniversary of the infamous Tyler Seguin trade, the Dallas Stars are reaping the benefits.
The Fourth of July has been known as a huge NBA free agency day, in recent years. Who will soon forget the Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors saga that broke a year ago today? But, on July 4th, 2013, the NHL ruled the day. The Boston Bruins, fed up with young star center Tyler Seguin, traded the polarizing player to the Dallas Stars.
Along with him went Rich Peverley and defenseman Ryan Button. In exchange, the Bruins got forward Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser. At the time, it appeared Boston did pretty good in the trade, even if they were clearly giving up the most talented player.
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There were several reasons Seguin got traded. Perhaps the biggest reason can be found in the video above. Scott Bradley, a front office member, said a now famous line. “ a star player. There’s no doubt. But does he fit with our culture?” There were also questions about his toughness and off the ice issues. Specifically, Seguin was seen as a negative influence with his partying ways.
Four years later, it’s hard to see the trade as anything less than a significant win for the Stars. Seguin has blossomed in Dallas, putting up 306 points in 305 regular season games. His four most productive seasons in terms of points have all come to with the Stars. Peverley had 30 points in 62 games before suffering a career ending injury during a game.
Meanwhile, Boston got 147 points for Eriksson, nine points from Morrow, 91 points from Smith and five points from Fraser. So the totals right now are 336 points for the Stars and 252 for the Bruins. And Seguin has no fewer than two seasons left with Dallas. The trade helped seal then Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli’s fate in Boston. Most of the front office personnel in the video are now gone.
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What can we learn from the Seguin trade? First of all, don’t trade a star player for anything less than an excellent return. Especially not a star who is on a long-term deal at an extremely reasonable price. Secondly, when top players are available, go after them. Worry about the salary cap later. Thirdly, if Chiarelli is open to trading a good player, give him a call. The price is probably lower than you think.