Few players have generated the kind of excitement upon their arrival that Tyler Seguin did last season. The rookie phenom packed Ristuccia Arena for the summer's development camp just weeks after being taken with the second overall pick in the draft, and more than 25,000 fans attended the two rookie games against the Islanders at the Garden to get their first glimpse of him in action in the preseason.
When the real season began, Seguin suffered some growing pains as would be expected from a teenager getting his first taste of professional competition. But there were more than enough flashes of his ample skill, particularly in his memorable playoff debut against the Lightning, to warrant continued optimism for the bright future ahead of the young playmaker.
2010-11 stats: 74 games, 11-11-22, minus-4, 18 PIMs
Playoffs: 13 games, 3-4-7, plus-5, two PIMs
Contract status: Signed through 2012-13, $3.55-million cap hit ($900,000 base, plus potential performance bonuses)
Preseason expectations: While Bruins management and coach Claude Julien did their best to temper expectations for the No. 2 overall pick, the hype machine was in full effect and most fans anticipated Seguin making an immediate impact offensively in his first professional season.
Regular-season evaluation: Seguin gave reason for such high hopes in the early going. He scored three goals in his first eight games, including a highlight-reel breakaway tally in Prague in the second game of the season. He added his first home goal on Oct. 28 against Toronto, eliciting "Thank You Kessel" chants from the Garden crowd in reference to the Phil Kessel trade that gave Boston three high draft picks, including the one used to select Seguin. But it took Seguin 27 more games to score his next three goals and there were more downs and ups as the youngster, who didn't turn 19 until Jan. 31, adjusted to the steep learning curve of the NHL. He showed flashes of his immense skills, but also revealed areas that needed plenty of polish. Those primarily included cleaning up the play in his own zone, as his minus-4 was the second worst rating on the team ahead of only Marc Savard, who was clearly not himself as he battled lingering effects of his concussion before being sidelined for the rest of the season with another head injury. Seguin also needed to improve his compete level. The Bruins aren't trying to turn him into a power forward, but he did need to increase his willingness to battle for the puck and take and deliver hits to make plays. That was a lesson Seguin did learn over the course of the season.
"I think getting a little bit more involved in the corners, battling and grinding a bit more," Seguin said of what he needed to work on after being scratched late in the season. "In juniors I was able to stay on the outside a bit more and let others do that, where I could get the puck in the middle and go. Up here I think the good players are the guys who can do that but also get their nose dirty. That's what pro hockey is, so that's something that I have to adapt to."
It took some time for those lessons to sink in. Seguin had no points in his final 11 games and just one in his final 19 games, but by the end of the year he had made great strides in becoming a much more complete player capable of being trusted in more situations.
Playoff evaluation: Seguin continued to bide his time in the postseason, sitting out the entire first two rounds against Montreal and Philadelphia. But Julien kept him involved, practicing with the team and skating in warm-ups before every game to see firsthand how the veterans prepared for playoff action. By the time he was needed when Patrice Bergeron was sidelined with a concussion, Seguin was ready for the challenge and exploded on the scene with six points in his first two playoff games. He scored just one more point in the final 11 postseason games he played and was scratched again for Game 3 of the Final, returning only after Nathan Horton suffered a concussion. But even without the point production, Seguin impressed in the final two rounds, most notably with a very strong Game 7 performance against Tampa Bay. He showed a far greater commitment to compete, finishing with 10 hits in 13 playoff games after managing just 20 in 74 regular-season games and was a plus-5 in the postseason.
2011-12 outlook: The Bruins will remain patient with the young forward capable of becoming a franchise cornerstone. They won't put too much pressure on him in his second season, but they will give him every opportunity to take on a bigger role. And the opportunities will be there with Mark Recchi retiring and Michael Ryder signing with Dallas. Seguin's long-term future likely remains at center, where his playmaking skills are best suited. But he still needs to refine his two-way play and improve his faceoff skills (49.5 percent in regular season, 39.1 percent in playoffs) before making a full-time move to the middle. With Boston's depth at center, he's likely to remain on the wing for at least one more season, and should get a chance to thrive on a scoring line, perhaps getting a chance to take Recchi's spot alongside Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
Coming Friday, July 29: Benoit Pouliot
