Trap Jesus
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2012
- 28,686
- 13,456
The Kessel, Seguin and Hamilton situations are all different in their own way, but one recurring theme we hear about is how they "didn't fit in" in Boston.
Management seemed content to keep all 3 of these players on board long-term at least at some point (The Bruins were negotiating with Kessel for months before he was traded, Hamilton was offered a 6 year deal at a shade under what Calgary signed him for, and Seguin actually did sign a 6 year deal in Boston). This leads me to believe it's unreasonable to assume they weren't "wanted" by Bruins management.
We've also seen plenty of players have no problems whatsoever in signing long term with the Bruins (Bergeron, Krejci, Chara, Rask, Seidenberg, Marchand, McQuaid, etc.), so it's not like it's some situation where everyone is miserable and wants to get out.
So, that leaves us with the question of why these players all wanted to leave Boston, and a lot of it suggests that there was some type of rift between the veteran leadership group and those 3 young players.
Chara regarding Kessel and Seguin:
Seguin:
There aren't any firm quotes on this subject regarding Hamilton, but obviously there's speculation about it being a similar issue.
So, my question to HF is if you do believe there is something going on in Boston where there's a divide between the veterans and younger players, and, if so, who is to blame for this? Obviously not a "right or wrong" question and something we wouldn't know for sure, but I thought it would be interesting to see what people think.
Management seemed content to keep all 3 of these players on board long-term at least at some point (The Bruins were negotiating with Kessel for months before he was traded, Hamilton was offered a 6 year deal at a shade under what Calgary signed him for, and Seguin actually did sign a 6 year deal in Boston). This leads me to believe it's unreasonable to assume they weren't "wanted" by Bruins management.
We've also seen plenty of players have no problems whatsoever in signing long term with the Bruins (Bergeron, Krejci, Chara, Rask, Seidenberg, Marchand, McQuaid, etc.), so it's not like it's some situation where everyone is miserable and wants to get out.
So, that leaves us with the question of why these players all wanted to leave Boston, and a lot of it suggests that there was some type of rift between the veteran leadership group and those 3 young players.
Chara regarding Kessel and Seguin:
"It comes to personal sacrifices you have to make or are willing to give up," said Chara, speaking specifically about Kessel and Seguin. "And it's not always easy to do. I know they are good people. Obviously, really talented, great players. But sometimes you do have to make sacrifices and be willing to do -- or not to do -- certain things. And perhaps it was maybe harder than they thought it would be, and ... it didn't work."
Seguin:
"I admit that there were probably some decisions I could have made better, but I also highly doubt that anyone would endorse every choice they made in their late teens. It’s part of growing up. I was living on my own for the first time and was the only single guy on the team. On off-nights, when the other guys would go home to their wives and families, I would go out. But none of my behavior was ever malicious, and it certainly didn’t affect my play on the ice. The suggestion that it did always bothered me because I fulfilled every role that the Bruins asked of me, whether it was leading the team in scoring as a center or serving as a winger on the third line."
There aren't any firm quotes on this subject regarding Hamilton, but obviously there's speculation about it being a similar issue.
So, my question to HF is if you do believe there is something going on in Boston where there's a divide between the veterans and younger players, and, if so, who is to blame for this? Obviously not a "right or wrong" question and something we wouldn't know for sure, but I thought it would be interesting to see what people think.
