Perhaps Phil Kessel being selected last in an exhibition game popularity contest over the weekend overshadowed it, but have you noticed the draft pick to whom he's forever linked has plowed into the rookie wall?
Boston Bruins forward Tyler Seguin has gone nine straight games without a point, and has five points (2 goal, 3 assists) since Dec. 18.
In three of his last five games, he's been south of 10 minutes of total ice time, and there's a better chance you'll find a beer vendor in the final five minutes of a Bruins game than Tyler Seguin.
Seguin, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 Draft, was considered by some to be more "NHL ready" than top pick Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers last summer, but the numbers don't lie: Hall has caught up to the field in the rookie scoring race with 31 points, nine behind Jeff Skinner; Seguin (16 points in 49 games), meanwhile, has been outscored by five rookie defensemen.
From Jesse Connolly of Black & Gold Blog:
Seguin, for the most part, hasn't wowed everyone in the fashion that was so dauntingly expected of him before the Bruins even made their way to the podium on draft night to select him. Does that make his first year in the NHL, to date, a disappointment? I'd say slightly. No one expected anything as lofty as 40 goals from the former OHL stud, but signs of true progress and development have been few and far between.
Conditions have changed for Seguin this season, but they could soon change again. The talk that Marc Savard will be shut down after his latest concussion grows stronger behind the scenes in Boston, pending another medical evaluation that could happen today.
If Savard is out, CSNNE's Joe Haggerty sees an opportunity for Seguin to earn more ice time and reverse his offensive fortunes:
Now that the pace has quickened and the pressure has heightened, Seguin needs to rise to the level.
The 19-year-old seems to have curbed some of his offensive instincts after being given a reduced role, with little to no power-play time, over the last month, and more than anything else needs to play with the confidence that allows his speed and skills to emerge.
No worries about Patrice Bergeron if you're the Bruins. David Krejci ... well, you'd like a few more goals, more often. Players like Brad Marchand and Blake Wheeler could shift to the pivot if necessary. But a Seguin resurgence would solidify the position and allow the Bruins to go after the puck-moving defenseman then truly need.
That is, if Savard doesn't come back. Which, for his sake, we hope won't be until next fall.
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