Good for Seguin. He had a really solid year and will hopefully only get better. As for the Kessel stuff, who cares what he did or didn't do and when? The trade is over. Let's all move on.
The big take away from this is that even though Seguin lead the Bruins in scoring, he only had 67 points, which put him 29th or so in the league. To lead a team with that total speaks to the lack of top end talent they have up front. It's clearly a scoring by committee approach instead of having a true first line with elite scoring talent. Hopefully Seguin builds on this year and increases his points and goals next year to become what everyone is expecting: A bonafide scoring threat. It's been fun to watch so far.
I beg to differ!
To me, Bergy/Seguin/Marchand are a top line on any SC contender....including the Bruins.
It just happens that we got another line putting as good offensive numbers and we can use that line as a shutdown line efficiently.
Not too many teams have that luxury!
The skill level on that line is very high, but in all 3 zones which is contrary to 2/3 of the comparables.
Would have been sweet to see him hit 30 goals in his second season. If only he could have potted one during the Sens game out of the 4 or 5 golden opportunities he had
There is still a little bit more learning to do but for the most part he's becoming a great all around player. I doubt we'll ever see him on the PK or anything but his defensive game has come a long way since last year. He has great aggressive backchecking (so much so I keep thinking he's going to get a slashing call, haha) and definitely doesn't float when the rush is going back the other way.
During the Ottawa game on Pouliot's goal.. they showed an angle from Khudobin's end of the ice and when the play started going back the other way you saw Spezza just gliding and staring at the play.. it was the laziest **** I've ever seen and if I would have done that in my SQUIRT league when I was 11 I would have been benched. I mean at the very least he could have skated as fast as he could to the bench so someone else could hop on in the offensive zone but nope.
Anyways, my point is Seguin will take responsibility in situations like that and it's awesome to see.
EDIT - Here is what I was talking about with Spezza:
Marchand and Bergeron are very underrated offensively and the proof was in the SC playoff run last season....go check!
At crunch time, this Seguin/Bergeron/Marchand line will be lethal.
Now nobody talks about the remarkable +/- on that line:
Bergeron: +36
Seguin: +34
Marchand:+31
And it gives me shivers just to read that this is all about the remarkable progress Seguin made defensively.
That defensive performance is the BEST in the NHL this season for a forward line and it is the product of Bergeron and his leadership.
Meanwhile Krejci ended at a staggering -6..........
I don't want to start the comparison game again, but it has become evident to me that Bergeron was the greatest mentor to Seguin's game since his coming to the Bruins.
Seguin will become a superstar in this League due to the influence he got from Bergeron and Julien....make no quibble about it and Seguin himself admits it.
I think we're talking apples and oranges here. I was more along the lines of saying that Kessel, in his glory year, was more of a product of Savard and Lucic than Seguin's offensive numbers was a product of Bergeron and Marchand. Don't get me wrong here - Bergeron and Marchand are both fantastic offensive players and have had a huge impact on Seguin this year. However, I'm still seeing Kessel's numbers while playing with Savard and Lucic being heightened by playing with them (at the time - I'm not talking about right now), while Seguin has the natural talent and offensive instincts that didn't need to be brought out by Bergeron and Marchand to shine through as much. That's not to say they didn't have an impact (that's not the point I'm trying to make).
The point I am trying to make is that, comparatively speaking, Seguin in his 2nd season is ahead of where Kessel was in his 3rd season in terms of offensive talent / production and the proof would be in his linemates. I don't think there is any questioning that Savard is the better playmaker than Bergeron and that Lucic was able to create more room for Kessel than Marchand can for Seguin. With that being said, I see Seguin as being the better offensive player than Kessel will be when it's all said and done.
It's not doubt that Bergeron mentoring Seguin this year has made a world of difference. He's more apt to engage physically, he's better defensively, and he's more willing to go into the dirty areas than he was last year. I'm not denying any of that. The sky is the limit for this kid and I'm sure glad he has someone like Bergeron playing next to him to help mold and master his game.
I think we're talking apples and oranges here. I was more along the lines of saying that Kessel, in his glory year, was more of a product of Savard and Lucic than Seguin's offensive numbers was a product of Bergeron and Marchand. Don't get me wrong here - Bergeron and Marchand are both fantastic offensive players and have had a huge impact on Seguin this year. However, I'm still seeing Kessel's numbers while playing with Savard and Lucic being heightened by playing with them (at the time - I'm not talking about right now), while Seguin has the natural talent and offensive instincts that didn't need to be brought out by Bergeron and Marchand to shine through as much. That's not to say they didn't have an impact (that's not the point I'm trying to make).
The point I am trying to make is that, comparatively speaking, Seguin in his 2nd season is ahead of where Kessel was in his 3rd season in terms of offensive talent / production and the proof would be in his linemates. I don't think there is any questioning that Savard is the better playmaker than Bergeron and that Lucic was able to create more room for Kessel than Marchand can for Seguin. With that being said, I see Seguin as being the better offensive player than Kessel will be when it's all said and done.
It's not doubt that Bergeron mentoring Seguin this year has made a world of difference. He's more apt to engage physically, he's better defensively, and he's more willing to go into the dirty areas than he was last year. I'm not denying any of that. The sky is the limit for this kid and I'm sure glad he has someone like Bergeron playing next to him to help mold and master his game.
Seguin with a healthy Savard on a regular basis would have topped 50 goals. I have zero doubt about that. One issue is playing time/quality on this team- they roll 4 lines consistently, and more importantly, they have 2 "First" lines. It is not fair to compare any Bruin to a first line player on another team, because those players will always get more minutes, more PP time, etc.
That said, most fans put WAY too much stock in the numbers. For instance, while Looch's numbers are basically identical to last year, and his +/- was much better last year, he is a far better player now in my opinion. Much less gliding around, and more exerting of his will in his skating. Sometimes you need to give it the eyeball test. Seguins game has improved much more than even the numbers tell you. He is a totally different animal this year. He will only get better
He's shown he has game breaking ability many times, but at the same time he's been somewhat inconsistent. However, that can be expected with a player as young as he is. Hopefully he can show some consistency during the playoffs with Bergeron and Marchand.
If there's one thing he does that drives me crazy, it's when he tries to skate from center ice into the middle of the zone, while trying to get around everybody. If he could enter the zone in a few more ways, that would make him even deadlier.
Never said he sucks. Never called him a loser. Pointed out a play where he just flat out gave up where he would have been glued to the bench in Julien's system.
Seguin with a healthy Savard on a regular basis would have topped 50 goals. I have zero doubt about that. One issue is playing time/quality on this team- they roll 4 lines consistently, and more importantly, they have 2 "First" lines. It is not fair to compare any Bruin to a first line player on another team, because those players will always get more minutes, more PP time, etc.
That said, most fans put WAY too much stock in the numbers. For instance, while Looch's numbers are basically identical to last year, and his +/- was much better last year, he is a far better player now in my opinion. Much less gliding around, and more exerting of his will in his skating. Sometimes you need to give it the eyeball test. Seguins game has improved much more than even the numbers tell you. He is a totally different animal this year. He will only get better
I can't wait to see what he can do in the playoffs. We saw what he was able to do last year with very sheltered minutes.
indeed, it'll be interesting to see if he'll be the guy or just another complimentary piece, he certainly looked like the guy in that tampa game. His raw skill is as good as anyone in the league...find the magic tyler and keep fighting...
I can't wait for the playoffs to start. S'gon be awesome
Last year I heard the comparisons to Stamkos first couple years. Didn't quite pan out. This year, it's dialed back a bit to Tavares comparisons. Probably more realistic, but I still see a kid that is incapable of cleanly collecting a pass. Kessel, even early on, was like velcro - at speed, in stride.
Seguin doesn't create real scoring space for himself, and sorely lacks puck-possession skills (ala Brad Marchand). Seems to still shy away from real contact In fact, as these two are tight friends, I'm surprised that Marchand isn't chirping the kid for softness . . .
I think the expectations need tempering. He will, no doubt, be a very solid player for this team, but he hasn't shown a lot more than that.
Last year I heard the comparisons to Stamkos first couple years. Didn't quite pan out. This year, it's dialed back a bit to Tavares comparisons. Probably more realistic, but I still see a kid that is incapable of cleanly collecting a pass. Kessel, even early on, was like velcro - at speed, in stride.
Seguin doesn't create real scoring space for himself, and sorely lacks puck-possession skills (ala Brad Marchand). Seems to still shy away from real contact In fact, as these two are tight friends, I'm surprised that Marchand isn't chirping the kid for softness . . .
I think the expectations need tempering. He will, no doubt, be a very solid player for this team, but he hasn't shown a lot more than that.
Agreed. I think it would be foolish to dismantle Bergy's line, at this point. If you're about to move #19 at C, you need to have a plan. Do you move Krejci? Do you put him at wings even if this year experiment was inconclusive? There's no way the Bruins will waste Seguin's skills on a 3rd line. Moving Seguin at C will generate more ramifications then most people think.
To me, Bergy/Seguin/Marchand are a top line on any SC contender....including the Bruins.
It just happens that we got another line putting as good offensive numbers and we can use that line as a shutdown line efficiently.
Not too many teams have that luxury!
The skill level on that line is very high, but in all 3 zones which is contrary to 2/3 of the comparables.
They have skill, but none are what I'd consider elite scorers. I love the line, but let's be honest with ourselves about this. Seguin could become that, but he's not there yet, and Marchand and PB are good, but not great scorers.
Well...........at least he got to the Finals to have a chance
Probably the last guy ya wanna compare Joe to Kiss, just sayin
I think his point was more along the lines of there are a lot of great players without their name on the cup, and the flip side is that a lot of scrubs do have their names there. It takes more than individual skill to win it all, no matter how great a player is. You have to be on a great team. Some great players make others around them better, while others do not. It's not a knock to say that Neely never won a cup. It just never broke right for him.
I think his point was more along the lines of there are a lot of great players without their name on the cup, and the flip side is that a lot of scrubs do have their names there. It takes more than individual skill to win it all, no matter how great a player is. You have to be on a great team. Some great players make others around them better, while others do not. It's not a knock to say that Neely never won a cup. It just never broke right for him.
Last year I heard the comparisons to Stamkos first couple years. Didn't quite pan out. This year, it's dialed back a bit to Tavares comparisons. Probably more realistic, but I still see a kid that is incapable of cleanly collecting a pass. Kessel, even early on, was like velcro - at speed, in stride.
Seguin doesn't create real scoring space for himself, and sorely lacks puck-possession skills (ala Brad Marchand). Seems to still shy away from real contact In fact, as these two are tight friends, I'm surprised that Marchand isn't chirping the kid for softness . . .
I think the expectations need tempering. He will, no doubt, be a very solid player for this team, but he hasn't shown a lot more than that.
Here's to the future.
What a strange post considering the kid just led this team in scoring at 20 years old...
