Tyler Seguin: Bruins '100 Percent' Gave Up On Me Too Early
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tyler Seguin currently is tied for the NHL lead in goals. He's been a member of the Dallas Stars for a season and a half, yet in Boston, he may always be remembered as a member of the Bruins. That's due to the hype that preceded his arrival, his performance in his three seasons with the Black and Gold, and his unceremonious departure in the summer of 2013.
For the most part, Seguin has remained relatively tight-lipped with regard to his personal feelings toward the trade that sent him from Boston to Dallas, but in an article written on The Players' Tribune, Seguin opened up.
"Now that it's all completely in the past, I can give you my honest answer," Seguin wrote. "Do I think the Bruins gave up on me too early? Yes, I 100 percent believe that."
Seguin was still just 21 years old when he was traded by general manager Peter Chiarelli. The Bruins' behind-the-scenes TV show, "Behind The B," showed multiple members of the front office disappointed with Seguin's performance in the 2013 playoffs, when he had just one goal and seven assists to go with a minus-2 rating in 22 games.
"We'll miss his speed. ... In the regular season, we'll miss his speed," said Jim Benning, then the assistant GM.
Director of player personnel Scott Bradley said: "I just think there's too many red flags with him. He has a lot of talent, we know that. He should be scoring. I'm disappointed. If he gives us half of [Patrick] Kane, we win the Stanley Cup. I don't like the way his game's going. He hasn't proven that he's tough enough or he plays our style of game. I don't know if a leopard ever changes his spots, but he's going to have to or else we're going to be sitting right here doing the same thing."
And team president Cam Neely said: "There's a couple of issues from my perspective, there's the on ice and off ice. On the ice, he certainly has all kinds of skill, but I don't care what age you are. You're three years into the league, you should have some improvement in the areas that I know the coaching staff has talked to him about. It's a little slower developing than it should be, and that's because it's the areas that it's difficult to get into in this game. For me, if we get the right deal for him, then it's something we need to do."
Seguin, in the article written on Derek Jeter's website, seems to disagree with just about all of those assessments.
"None of my behavior was ever malicious, and it certainly didn't affect my play on the ice," Seguin argued. "The suggestion that it did always bothered me because I fulfilled every role that the Bruins asked of me, whether it was leading the team in scoring as a center or serving as a winger on the third line."
(That's a world-class humble brag right there folks.)
Much like he said during his introductory press conference in Dallas, Seguin attributed the reports of his "party" lifestyle to the fact that he was the only player on the Bruins without a wife or girlfriend.
"I admit that there were probably some decisions I could have made better, but I also highly doubt that anyone would endorse every choice they made in their late teens. It's part of growing up," Seguin said. "I was living on my own for the first time and was the only single guy on the team. On off-nights, when the other guys would go home to their wives and families, I would go out."
Despite the abrupt departure, Seguin said he holds no negative thoughts toward Boston or his time in a Bruins uniform.
"Boston is always going to be a part of me," he said. "I love the city and without question, being a member of the Bruins organization made me a stronger hockey player."
There's no question about the latter part of that statement, as Seguin is well on his way to being a superstar in Dallas. And his star continues to grow, the Bruins organization will always face the question: Did they quit on Seguin too soon? They can ponder the answer while watching Seguin get to work during All-Star weekend, but we know now where Seguin himself stands on the matter.
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