BOSTON — Since he was selected with the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, Tyler Seguin has had his sights set on earning a spot on the Boston roster right away. Now, with the announcement that Marc Savard is out indefinitely with post-concussion syndrome symptoms, the path to Boston could run along a more familiar route for Seguin.
A natural center, Seguin was projected to begin his NHL career on the wing because of Boston's depth down the middle. But with Savard out, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed Friday that Seguin is going to start training camp at center.
Seguin stayed at center in the recently completed rookie camp and turned in a solid performance in the two rookie games against the Islanders. Chiarelli expects Seguin's play to only improve as he starts skating with the club's skilled veterans.
"Usually, that's what happens with players of that talent and hockey intelligence," said Chiarelli. "They're able to play better at a higher speed, and they're able to approach that stuff at a higher speed with their linemates. When they're playing with better players, they will play better. That's what I've seen historically and that's what I expect will happen with Tyler."
Bruins coach Claude Julien is already impressed with what he's seen from Seguin, though he cautioned against raising expectations too high.
"I think it's pretty obvious this guy's got tremendous skill," said Julien. "He can skate at this level. I got to see him probably more so in development camp this summer and there's going to be an adjustment period for him. We've got to give him the opportunity also to learn how our team plays, system-wise and everything else, but you don't want to take away what has been his bread and butter, and that's his natural skill level. He can make things happen.
"I saw him on the power play there the first night, how he really controlled it, the half-wall," added Julien. "I thought at times, he might have tried to do a little too much, which is not surprising. It's something very normal for somebody coming in and their first time having so many expectations as far as what people want to see from him. Everything has kind of developed and it's been pretty normal, but I've liked what I've seen. I think that there's so much upside to this young man, plus moving in with some players that have experience in this league, it will only make him that much better. So [we're] looking forward to seeing him with the big team."
Seguin isn't the only center who will have to try to fill the void for as long as Savard remains out. Veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will need to continue to log lots of minutes as the club's top two centers, while youngsters like Joe Colborne and Zach Hamill could have an opportunity to earn jobs with the big club.
"I don't think David has to establish himself," said Julien. "We all know what kind of player he is. He's been here for three years and is starting his fourth. I don't think he has to prove himself. I think he has to continue playing as well as he has been, and with his experience, it will happen on its own.
"But it does give an opportunity for some other young players to look at that and say, 'Here's my chance,'" added Julien. "We talked about Zach Hamill. He's been in the organization for a while. I actually liked how he played that last game in Washington. It gives other guys opportunity. Joe Colborne is here, and Tyler Seguin is going to be there. Sometimes one of those guys doing such a good job, might even force us to put Seguin back on the wing. What's happening right now with Savvy is unfortunate, but I think it opens a lot of doors to a lot of players to take advantage of it."
Hamill has struggled to live up to expectations himself since being drafted eighth overall in 2007, but he did make strides last year. He was one of the final cuts in camp after a strong preseason and finally made his NHL debut in the regular-season finale, picking up an assist in a solid all-around effort in Washington.
"Last year I just came in and wanted to make it tough for them to send me down," said Hamill. "I thought I did a pretty good job of it. … I'm just coming in the same as last year, with a hard work ethic and make it hard for them to send me down."
