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Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn come in at one and two on this list. They are two of the best young players the NHL has to offer, and will team up to form one of the top lines in the league this season in Dallas. Ranking Seguin number one is indicative of that. It isn't so much that Seguin is a better player than Benn. He may be, but this ranking doesn't mean that. It reflects the total impact Seguin could have on the full roster.
Seguin 's biggest impact will be in how much he creates for Benn. The offensive threat he creates just by being on the ice is going to make defenses adjust to his presence which will open up a significant amount of space with which Benn will be able to operate. We all remember how frustrated Benn looked as last season wore on. The extra space generated by Seguin should be a big help in lowering his anxiety.
On his own merit Seguin brings a big offensive punch. His presence is also going to be felt on the powerplay. The powerplay had an utter lack of creativity for most of last season. The addition of Sergei Gonchar will help, but the addition of another playmaking forward can do nothing but help too. The improvements have already been apparent in the preseason as the powerplay has appeared more potent. Most of that potency comes from the powerplayers moving around more and moving the puck with more determination. This is an area where we're going to see Seguin make a huge impact.
The off ice issues that plagued Seguin in Boston are hopefully not going to be one of the main story lines this season, but early on they will inevitably be a talking point. Seguin seems like a better fit personality-wise with the Stars. It would be a very good thing if Stars fans heard relatively little from Seguin away from the ice.
Ultimately his upside is enormous. He is one of the better young players in the game. He was only available because he didn't fit in with the Bruins. The Stars paid a massive price to pick him up. Seguin has already been compared with Phil Kessel consistently since he entered the NHL after the draft day trade that sent Kessel to Boston. Stars fans will have their own trade to monitor as we see how Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, and Matt Fraser do in Boston.
The question becomes if Seguin can provide enough value to make the loss of those three players seem insignificant. He has the ability to do so. Playing on the top line with Benn with top line powerplay minutes puts him in a strong position to produce at a high level. The Stars need Seguin to be the elite player he can be to make the playoffs. If he is the Stars look like a playoff team.
If he isn't the playoffs are a dream.