Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins combined to make one of the biggest, perhaps even the largest, trade of the offseason earlier this week, as the B’s sent young forward Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley to the Stars in exchange for Loui Eriksson and a handful of youngsters.
It’s a trade that reflects how the Bruins felt about Seguin and his lifestyle off the ice, and it was simply something that they were not willing to deal with anymore. The Bruins are in a win now mode, and don’t have time to be patient while a 21-year-old finds his maturity away from the ice.
Which worked out great for the Stars. While they surrender one of the best two-way forwards in the game in Loui Eriksson, they just got a center with superstar potential. He was unable to blossom in the middle with Boston, instead playing out on the wing. With the Stars, he’ll have an opportunity to succeed in the middle.
We all know about Seguin’s upside. He’s a superb playmaker and has the ability to put the puck in the net on his own as well. He has elite offensive skill and isn’t too shabby in his own end either. He’ll make a terrific centerpiece right in the middle of that top line for the Stars for a long time.
But don’t forget about what’s going to be on either side of him. In fact, the Stars have the potential to ice one of the better top lines anywhere in the league within the next couple of years. As they wait for Seguin to hit his prime, they have a winger who’s already a star, and a draft pick who was a steal in the first round last weekend.
Jamie Benn is already on his way to becoming an elite player. Acquiring Seguin allows the Stars to get Benn back out on the wing where he’s more comfortable. He’s a big winger, capable of playing physically and has 80 or 90 point upside. He’s a scary matchup for opposing teams.
Then there’s the matter of Valeri Nichushkin. The no. 10 overall pick in last weekend’s draft was looked at as a top five talent, but the stigma surrounding Russian hockey players caused him to fall. Which is yet another gain for the Stars, who get a power forward with Alex Ovechkin-like potential.
Two big power forwards out on the wing, along with a superb puck handler in the middle in Seguin, means that the future is bright for the Stars. It already was before the events of the last few days. But within the next couple of years, we’re going to see a top line in Dallas that is among the best in the game, if everything comes together as it could.
