Felger & Mazz: Did The Bruins Bail On Seguin Too Early?
BOSTON (CBS) - Tonight marks the first time that the Boston Bruins will face their former first round draft pick Tyler Seguin, now a member of the Dallas Stars.
On July 4, Seguin was the centerpiece of a trade that sent him to the Western Conference along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow.
The trade was largely debated at the time, with some feeling that the Bruins gave up on him too soon. Just the previous summer, Seguin signed a six-year contract worth $5.75 million per season.
But something changed.
General manager Peter Chiarelli and those inside the Bruins organization grew concerned over his off-the-ice behavior, and felt maybe his playing style just wasn't a good fit. The trade was made, and the Tyler Seguin era in Boston was over.
READ Tyler Seguin: 'I'm Not A Part Of Boston Anymore, But It's Always Going To Be A Part Of Me'
So here we are now, November 5, 2013, with the Dallas Stars coming to town. Mike Felger, Tony Massarotti and Jermaine Wiggins reopened the topic for discussion on Tuesday.
Wiggins was very vocal in supporting Seguin, and feels the Bruins bailed prematurely.
"I never liked the trade from the giddy up. I just thought that they pulled the plug on him too early. We don't know what his ceiling is but if he can find it, his ceiling is off the charts."
Felger doesn't agree.
"Is he Patrick Kane? I don't think he is. I don't think he has the instincts of a Patrick Kane. Could he be Phil Kessel? I don't think he has the finishing touch of Phil Kessel. I don't think he's a 40-goal scorer, and I don't think he's a top 10 player in the league. I think at his best, at his very best, he's a top 20 player in the league," said Felger of Seguin.
Mazz thinks there's a larger issue at play here. That is, the Bruins' system under Claude Julien frowns upon goal scorers, and would rather have two-way players. He referenced the Bruins trading of Phil Kessel, and now Seguin.
"So what is it? You don't like guys that can skate fast and score goals?" said an irritated Mazz.
Listen to the full discussion below:
Did The Bruins Bail On Seguin Too Early?
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