The Boston Bruins made a shocking move on Thursday by trading former first round pick Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars as part of a seven player trade.
The Bruins received winger forward Loui Eriksson and three prospects (Joseph Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser) in exchange for Seguin, forward Rich Peverley and defenseman Ryan Button.
"Tyler is a dynamic player that will be a part of our core group for a long time to come," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "A player at his age, position and talent level are extremely difficult to acquire and we're thrilled to bring him into our organization."
Seguin was selected second overall by the Bruins in 2010 and was expected to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. However, manager Peter Chiarelli seemed unhappy with the 21-year old's lack of discipline and even blamed it for his poor playoff performance; Seguin finished the 2012-13 postseason with one goal and seven assists in 22 playoff games.
"He's got to commit his mind and focus on the one task at hand," Chiarelli said. "He's got to become more of a professional. And you know what? I can say that about a lot of 21-year-olds. I know he got criticized for playing on the periphery and all that stuff. He did. He's got to commit to being a professional and focusing on the game. He does that, we don't expect him to be crashing and banging. Just play your game."
Eriksson finished the season with 29 points in 48 games. The 28-year old winger should help strengthened the Bruins on the flanks as Nathan Horton and Jaromir Jagr are expected to leave the team this summer. The trade also helped the Bruins add more talent to their prospect pool. Joseph Morrow was the 23rd overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2011 draft while Smith was Dallas' third round pick in 2009.
Here are Twitter reactions to the trade:
@SeguinProblems : The numbers 9 and 19 are both retired in Dallas. Wonder what number @tylerseguin92 will choose? Maybe that 92 from the splenger cup?
@DMacLean15: Now that @tylerseguin92 is gone who are the girls of Boston going to fantasize over now?