Seguin swap from Bruins to Stars a rare deal that benefits everyone

Trade a boon to both Boston and Dallas

Tyler Seguin, right, is having the kind of season for Dallas Stars that Boston Bruins fans hoped he would have for their club. Jeff McIntosh / AP Photo

Tyler Seguin is having the kind of year for the Dallas Stars that Bruins fans once thought they would see on Boston ice.

The 21-year-old centre recorded the first four-goal game of his short career last week, helping him climb among the league’s scoring leaders with 22 points, including 12 goals.

Seguin, a prized, projected star, was traded to Dallas last summer for the steady but far-less-spectacular winger Loui Eriksson. If the deal raised eyebrows, the Bruins were ready with their reasons for the move.

The Stanley Cup finalists value two-way players in their grinding, defence-first scheme, and Seguin never seemed to buy in, even if he did help them win a championship in 2011 and was an All-Star a year later. He also had a reputation as an off-ice party animal who had some maturing to do.

The Bruins had enough depth at centre, and blue-line strength, to make Seguin a luxury they could barter away. In this case, for a man who better fit their culture.

So far, so good for both.

Seguin is flourishing as a Stars sharpshooter. Boston remains a tightly run machine and an Eastern Conference power, with Eriksson quietly mixing in.

There may come a day when the Bruins’ most pressing need is a pure scorer — a speedy, dangerous offensive threat who makes up for deficiencies on the defensive end. When that day comes, they might wistfully wonder if they could have held on to Seguin. In the meantime, he is their affordable gift to Dallas.