Tyler Seguin is on pace for 64 goals. Pretty disappointing season for him so far, I quip to the Dallas Stars center, which ignites a hearty laugh at the other end of the phone line.
"To be honest, it's a long year," Seguin said, the laughter turning to a serious tone, told ESPN.com Monday. "Obviously, I'm happy with my start. I've been thinking about shooting the puck more than I have in the past. Coming into this year, the biggest thing I was focused on is consistency, I didn't want last year just to be a fluke season, me coming out and finding myself in this league. I wanted to follow it up, so far I have, and I want to keep it going."
Um, I'd say.
Seguin leads the NHL with 25 goals in 32 games while also putting up 17 assists. Up next: the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, the team that as we all know could have selected the Brampton, Ontario, native in the June 2010 draft had they not traded away that pick to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal in September 2009.
Kessel has been nothing but a scoring machine since arriving in Toronto. But seeing Seguin blossom into a veritable offensive superstar, one has to think at least some Leafs fans would take the younger sniper.
And yes, at just 22, Seguin chuckled when asked about the twists and turns already in his young career. Almost a Leaf. Just shortly a Bruin. Finally, a home in Dallas.
" 'Interesting' is an interesting word to put on it," Seguin said of his circuitous route to Dallas. "I don't know if there's a word to put on it where I could have ended up and everything that's already happened so far. But I can honestly and truthfully say, I feel like I'm at home here in Dallas. I feel very comfortable where I am and I'm definitely happy to be a Star."
The Bruins traded Seguin to Dallas in July 2013, along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button, in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser. That he was dealt by Boston actually didn't surprise the hockey world at the time because there were maturity issues on and off the ice. You could sense that deal was coming. Still, you know Bruins fans are having a tough time stomaching what they're seeing now.
And if you want to drag another NHL team into the Seguin what-ifs, how about those easy-to-throw-under-the-bus Edmonton Oilers? I ask the question: Should they have taken Seguin instead of Taylor Hall with the first overall pick in 2010? Most people will answer yes but on this one, I suggest waiting before calling it; Hall is playing on the worst team in the league and I truly believe he has the ability to put up top-five scoring numbers once things settle for the better around him in Edmonton.
Still, you know what some Oilers fans might be thinking watching Seguin fill the net like nobody's business this season. Especially since he's a center, which is a need for the Oilers.
"Seguin is an exceptionally skilled talent," one rival Western Conference front-office executive told ESPN.com Tuesday. "He possesses elite-level vision, creativity and has a lethal shot with a quick release. The only question surrounding him is whether he has the focus and commitment to carry a team through the playoffs."
The Stars, despite Seguin's sensational offensive season, have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season. He's trying to help his team dig out of a mighty hole and he's trying to do it with his trusted pal at his side. What Seguin has found in Dallas is a partner on the ice who has helped him blossom. Stars captain Jamie Benn is arguably the most underrated star player in the NHL. Perhaps no longer after opening eyes in Sochi in February, but you still don't sense Benn gets enough credit for the kind of player he is. Seguin, for one, can't say enough about the impact Benn has; it has produced a one-two punch like few others in the NHL.
Tyler Seguin
#91 C
Dallas Stars
2014-15 STATS
- GM32
G25
A17
PTS42
+/-8
- PIM10
"I think in this league it's hard for one player to do much on his own. You definitely need that other guy," Seguin said. "Look around the league: there's Toews and Kane, Crosby and Kunitz, Getzlaf and Perry, and now Giroux and Voracek, the list goes on. With Jamie, we both push each other, we're both competitive guys, we want to succeed and be young leaders."
Seguin said he and Benn challenged each other between the second and third period Sunday night in Edmonton to lift their team to a comeback win, the Stars down 5-3 at the time. Seguin scored twice in the third period to force extra time, and the Stars won in a shootout.
"Going into the third period on Sunday night, we were hard on each other, and I think we responded," Seguin said. "Jamie especially has been really stepping up his game lately."
The Stars have won four straight but remain eight points out of a playoff spot. The odds are daunting, but at least the team seemingly is beginning to play like it should.
"It's nice to be playing the way we know we can play," Seguin said. "Everyone has bought into the system now, we're executing it like we did last year, and it's definitely more fun when you're winning games . . .
"I know we still have a lot of work to do . . . I don't so much believe in the people that say the standings are what they are at U.S. Thanksgiving, I think there's always room for teams to go up and down by the end of the year. We're going to keep scratching and clawing like we have been and try to get in there."