On Trading Tyler Seguin

I doubt anyone would make the claim that growing up as a celebrity is an easy thing to do. Not only does fame carry with it enormous expectations but this particular set of celebrity must deal with the temptations of what are often considered social norms for us nobodies with the realization that every action is chronicled in the spotlight. Of course some child-, teen-, and young adult-stars handle the pressures well-or at least are savvy at keeping things under wraps-others quickly become associated with scandal. For every Melissa Joan Hart or Joseph Gordon-Levitt there is a Lindsay Lohan or Justin Bieber.

While we don’t have these things thrown in our face every time we step into the checkout line at the grocery store, we still come across similar situations in the hockey world. It makes for a fun read and who doesn't enjoy a giant morsel of gossip you can just sink your teeth into? TMZ and MTV tell us we want to hear about it at least. But professional sports is an interesting case because of the level of focus it takes to make it to that rank and maintain the high caliber of performance. I am not intending to minimalise what actors and musicians do to perfect their craft but it should be pointed out that motivations and consequences are vastly different from stage and screen to the field, court, and rink.

The Boston organization has recently begun airing a docu-series telling the story of the team from the moment they lost to Chicago in the Stanley Cup Final. In the first episode, found here, one segment took a glimpse inside the boardroom with the Bruins brass discussing what to do with pending UFAs Nathan Horton and Andrew Ference as well as player-on-the-rise Tyler Seguin, who had signed a 6-year deal with the team the previous year. While Horton and Ference were allowed to walk, GM Peter Chiarelli revealed he had been shopping Seguin around the league and once his fellow executives granted him a blessing, Chiarelli followed through and found a dance partner in the Dallas Stars.

Now we all know there is no longer such a thing as pure reality television that doesn't originate on YouTube so it is quite clear that what we did get to see was a collection of minced words and hand-picked edits. While they recognized him as a skilled asset, vague statements such as “does he fit with our culture?” or “hasn't proven…he plays our style of game” were circulated around the table. However we did get some interesting snippets such as Director of Player Personnel Scott Bradley mentioning “red flags” and President Cam Neely dropping the “off-ice” issues bomb before failing to elaborate, at least in the video.

Tyler Seguin's reputation really started to take a turn for the worse during the lockout. He received the Deadspin treatment while in Switzerland over his living conditions. At the end of the season he committed a Twitter gaff, inserting the polarizing phrase “no homo” into one of his posts before quickly having to apologize. During Boston’s first-round series against Toronto, reports came in saying the Bruins hired guards to stand watch outside Seguin's hotel room. The stories that get cycled around could be true or just rumours and hearsay but media in the internet age makes news easier and faster to access while backtracking and debunking fictitious reports or half-truths is made more difficult.

This, of course, is not the first time a young star has gotten in trouble with his team. Patrick Kane of Chicago went through the trials and tribulations of a late teen/early 20-something-year-old, before and after the team won the Cup in 2010. There was the taxi incident in Buffalo, the shirtless limousine ride in Vancouver, the wild Cinco de Mayo in Wisconsin. His production in 2011-12 hit a career low and concerns hit an all-time high. The Blackhawks organisation recommended the former first-overall draft pick seek help, voices started calling for his head via trade, and the 24-year-old’s mother even relocated to Switzerland with him during the lockout to help keep him in check. Something certainly worked as Kane finally carried himself with an air of professionalism and returned to the NHL scoring at a pace of 1.17 points per game and a hair shy of .5 goals per game, his best production to date. The Conn Smythe Trophy of course is a nice mantelpiece and gives Chicago fans hope that maybe the kid has righted the ship.

I won’t suggest that we look the other way and give the “boys will be boys” excuse because Seguin's standing in the league demands elite-level expectations of maturity and professionalism on top of his play on the ice. But just like Kane, Seguin needs to step up to the wake-up call Boston sent to him.

The Bruins have high stakes in the trade as well and while many view the move as a win-win, I wouldn't exactly crown either side as coming out on top just yet. Seguin wasn't turning into the two-way physical presence that they were hoping he would and his setback this year was enough to send him packing. The subtext behind all of this is that Boston decided to forgo the development of a young player in lieu of a well-seasoned veteran who has proven effectiveness within the mold in which they form their roster.

Immediately, this looks like a good move for the Bruins but to those who say they won this trade I would counter that they haven't won anything until they have won it all. This was a team that finished the postseason two wins shy of the Stanley Cup. To say that they are contenders every year is an understatement but their measuring stick for success is that much higher since they failed to capitalize in the Final. By swapping Seguin for a player more fitting to their “culture” in Loui Eriksson, along with finally coaxing Jarome Iginlia after last season’s misfire, Boston has sent the message that they are all in for Lord Stanley’s Chalice. This is the same power move Pittsburgh made at the trade deadline last season before landing laughably short. If the Bruins don't take home the Cup in the three years that Eriksson has left on his contract, I would call this trade a fail on their part.

Seguin has too much skill to squander it as he has but he has to make the decision for himself that he really wants to become one of the best in the league. If he can regain his scoring touch, as well as improve his party boy reputation, then he will have already proven those in Boston that doubted him wrong. The road won't be easy, to be sure, but given his young age, Seguin has more time to live up to expectations than the squad he used to call home.

The situation is mutually beneficial for Dallas as well. As a rebuilding team this was a low-risk, high-reward move seeing as they started shipping out their most valuable veteran assets during last season to begin with. With top-line winger Jamie Benn assuming captain responsibilities already a fixture, Seguin is another piece with which to build around as the number one centre. And with plenty of young talent currently filling the roster on depth roles this team is certain to only move forward from here. Expectations are low for the Stars entering this year so if Seguin doesn't automatically rebound, his faults won't be under the same microscope that they were while he was in Boston.

Poet and man of the cloth George Herbert once said that "living well is the best revenge." I think that this would be the best advice for Tyler Seguin moving forward. The former second-overall pick doesn't need to be told he is good or even really how to play at the NHL level. Whether any of the rumours were true or not is a non-issue at this point. The thing Seguin can do is play as well as he knows he can play on the ice. The media will do what it does in searching for stories but none of the extracurriculars come front and centre unless you under-perform.