Tyler Seguin Learning Lessons as Healthy Scratch That Will Ultimately Benefit Bruins’ Young Star

The term "healthy scratch" has dozens of connotations, with not many of them being very good. For Tyler Seguin, though, it should be welcomed as a learning opportunity.

Of course, for a kid less than two weeks removed from his 19th birthday, it might be hard to immediately see sitting in the ninth level at the TD Garden as a good thing. He's a kid who's likely been on the first line of every team he's played on since he was 7 years old, and for the first time in his life, he's not the fastest skater and he's not the most-skilled scorer on the ice at any given moment.

Yet, for all the skill and potential he's displayed, he has shown an equal amount of maturity. He handled the pre-draft hype with relative ease as the entire continent of North America was in a frenzy over who would go No. 1. Since then, he's done a masterful job of shaking off any comparisons to that No. 1 pick, Taylor Hall, understanding that he's in a very different position on a very different team.

"I definitely want to elevate my game," Seguin said earlier this week. "I think I need to. It's all about consistency now heading toward the playoffs. I think I still have it in me and that's still the plan for me."

Since then, he's watched from the press box as his teammates engaged in one of the most spirited, physical and memorable contests in recent memory. Seguin wasn't a part of the fights or the eight goals scored, but he was a part of the team. Try to imagine how badly Seguin was itching to get back on the ice after that game, and understand that feeling will only be multiplied while watching another Original Six matchup on Friday night.

Ultimately, Claude Julien will have to reinsert the team's top pick into the lineup, and when he does, he'll have a smarter player on his hands. And while fans may check the stats and see that Hall has 17 goals and 34 points to Seguin's eight goals and 17 points, they'll also be watching Seguin skate in the playoffs this spring, while Hall's Oilers are making another No. 1 pick in the draft.

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