There were fireworks in the NHL on July 4 as the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars pulled off a seven-player trade.Boston acquired right winger Loui Eriksson and three prospects in return for forwards Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverly and defenseman Ryan Button.
The 28-year-old Eriksson played in all 48 games for Dallas this season and scored 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points. He also scored at least 71 points and 26 goals in each of the three previous campaigns and is regarded as one of the league’s best defensive forwards.
The Bruins originally acquired the draft choice they used to select Seguin when they traded winger Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009. Toronto gave up two first-rounders and a second-rounder in the deal and Boston took Seguin with one of the first-round picks, which was the second overall in the 2010 NHL Draft.
The Bruins also chose forward Jared Knight and defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the other selections. It seems that Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli was disappointed in the play of Seguin this season, as he told the press at the NHL Draft on June 30 that the youngster had to be more committed and more professional in his approach to the game.
Chiarelli said he realizes Seguin is just 21 years old and it was a tough trade to make, but feels Eriksson has a lot to bring and is also excited about the three prospects the Bruins acquired: Matt Fraser, Joseph Morrow and Reilly Smith.
Jim Nill, the general manager of Dallas, agreed with his counterpart and said both teams had to give up great players in the deal, but the trade should help each team.
Seguin played 203 games for the Bruins and scored 121 points for them on 56 goals and 116 assists. Last season, he played 48 games and scored 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. In the 2011-12 season, he racked up 29 goals 38 assists for 67 points.
However, he was a huge letdown in this season’s playoffs ,as he managed just one goal in Boston’s 22-game run to the Stanley Cup final. He did have 70 shots on net though, which was the second-best total on the team.
Seguin recently signed a six-year deal which will see him net an average yearly salary of $5.75 million. Eriksson still has another three years left on his contract which takes up $4.25 million each season in salary cap space.
The 31-year-old Peverley scored six goals and 12 assists for 18 points this season in 47 games. He also added a pair in 21 postseason contests. Peverly was acquired by Boston during the 2010-11 season from the former Atlanta Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets). He helped Boston win the Stanley Cup that season by scoring 12 points in 25 playoff games.
As for the other players in the trade, Morrow, a defenseman, was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 23rd overall pick. Dallas acquired him at the trade deadline last season in exchange for Brenden Morrow.
Smith, a forward, was selected by Dallas in 2009 in the third round of the draft. He played 37 games last season and scored three goals and six assists for nine points. He scored 102 points at college for Miami (Ohio) in his last two seasons there.
The 23-year-old Fraser is also a forward who signed with Dallas in 2010 as an undrafted free agent. He’s been playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) and has scored 70 goals in his last two seasons. He’s played in 13 NHL games with a goal and an assist to his name.
The 22-year-old Button was chosen in 2009 in the third round of the draft by Boston. He spent last season in the ECHL and AHL.
