Editor's note: Brian Goralnik contributed this story to NESN.com.
Exactly one year and two days after the Bruins' top 2010 draft pick scored his first NHL goal, Tyler Seguin was presented with a golden opportunity.
Since David Krejci was forced to miss Wednesday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a core injury, there is an opening at the center position on the Bruins' first line.
Bruins coach Claude Julien has already given the nod to his young star making a line of Seguin, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. On paper, this line has the potential be very dangerous with the ability to put up great offensive numbers, something the Bruins have lacked early this season. Without a doubt, Seguin can offer a spark to the struggling top line.
So far, Seguin is averaging a point per game and has taken two more shots than Lucic and Horton combined. If this type of production from Seguin can spread like a virus to his wingers, teams will have a hard time defending the line.
So essentially there is only one question: Is this a good fit?
The answer is yes, but it may not be the Bruins' best fit. Seguin is a speedy player with great vision and an excellent shot, but he still lacks the physical presence that Lucic and Horton bring to the ice each night. One of the Bruins' foundations to success is playing the body and it is something that they thrive off of, especially with a player like Lucic. Patrice Bergeron may be the perfect center to supply the offensive abilities along with the physical presence to get the first line going.
In order to generate offensive production, teams have to get it done in the defensive zone. Lucic, Horton and Krejci are all at minus-2 this year, meaning they are not doing what they need to do to get the puck out of their end of the ice, which can could help explain their lack of offensive production.
Not only does Bergeron provide the grit and grind to help work the puck into the attacking zone but he also has three blocked shots in as many games. His excellent play-making skills would prove to add a large boost defensively while still managing to spark the offense, primarily Lucic and Horton.
So, if Bergeron is center on the top line, where does Seguin end up?
Moving Bergeron up would open up a spot on the second line, and this would be a perfect fit for Seguin, as it would not bear the same amount of pressure the first line would. Also, one of his wingers would be Brad Marchand, a player Seguin has already developed some chemistry with. In the first game of the season, Seguin hit Marchand with a phenomenal outlet pass which ended in the Bruins only goal of the contest. Together, these two quick youngsters could really stretch the ice. Combined with the smart decision-making of Rich Peverly, this line has the potential to be very effective and productive.
There is a reason why teams do not have their top power-play group as their No. 1 even-strength line as well. This is because teams want to disperse their top goal scorers to maximize production from each player and have a well-balanced team that can score at any time.
Placing Seguin on the top line would be a good fit offensively, but the Bruins would most likely be a more complete team with Bergeron centering Lucic and Horton, leaving Seguin the possibility to still do a lot of damage from the second line.
