Stars fans knew that Loui Eriksson was potentially going to be traded this summer. Hockey fans everywhere knew Tyler Seguin was falling out of favor in Boston. Jim Nill made it public that the Stars were targeting help down the middle, so they could move Jamie Benn back to his original position on the left wing. So why was this trade such a shock to the senses?
It’s been so long since the Stars had the currency or stability to pull off a trade of this magnitude. There were no lenders counting pennies behind the scenes and nothing to hold this team back from finally moving forward with their plans to build a champion. Loui Eriksson will be missed, and will always have a place in the heart of Stars fans… but this trade was a breath of fresh air. A message to the hockey world that the Dallas Stars are back and ready to get down to business.
Jim Nill said the cornerstone of this deal was getting Tyler Seguin, a player that had been playing wing for the Bruins, and allowing him to return to his natural position of center, in a starring role on the Stars top line. Seguin, only a few years removed from being the 2nd overall pick in the draft, is exactly the kind dynamic player that the Stars can build around. [Mass Live]
After losing out on Alain Vigneault to the New York Rangers, and Vincent Lecavalier to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Stars finally came out with a coup of a win when they landed Tyler Seguin to be their first line center. According to Pierre Lebrun, the Nashville Predators were also very heated in the discussion with Boston, but were ultimately unable to top the Stars offer. Score one for the boys in green. [ESPN]
Most Bruins fans I’ve come across on Twitter and various internet sites since the trade have been very complimentary about Seguin’s future in Dallas, and legitimately appreciative to be picking up a player of Eriksson’s caliber in the process. Not all of Massachusetts shares that classy sentiment. A blog at the Boston Globe says good riddance to Seguin, a player they believe lacks maturity, discipline, and clutch, who never reached his potential. [Obnoxious Boston Fan]
Nashville may have lost out on the Seguin sweepstakes, but they still have money burning a hole in their pocket, that they plan to spend in free agency, to acquire some much needed offensive firepower. The Tennessean takes a look at some of the potential targets for our new division rival. [Tennessean]
Doug Armstrong, Ken Hitchcock, and the St. Louis Blues (also a new division rival) plan to make a big splash this week as well in the free agent market. [St. Louis Post Dispatch]
Teams that were looking to sign Daniel Briere this summer will need to look elsewhere. After missing out on Vincent Lecavalier, the Montreal Canadiens added the second best French Canadian center to be released during the compliance buy-out period, Daniel Briere, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers. [USA Today]
The Flyers used some of that money they saved on Briere’s roster spot to give Claude Giroux a pretty hefty raise. The seemingly bottomless pockets of the Flyers organization handed out an 8-year deal, worth 66.2 million. [Canoe]
Mark Stepneski had a pretty busy day, trying to cover all of the Stars transactions, while also keeping up with the opening day of development camp. While his coverage of the camp is probably not what he wanted it to be on day one, he did manage to get a good video of some of the action, including our first look at Valeri Nichushkin wearing the Big D. [Inside Edge]
Today’s video is a bit of an introduction to the game of Tyler Seguin. This is probably the smoothest and most exciting center we’ve had since the late 90’s, and these highlights put those skills on display.