Tyler Seguin
Number: 91
Age: 30
Birthplace: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
2021-22 stats: 24 goals, 25 assists, 49 points in 81 games
Contract: Five years remaining at a cap hit of $9.85 million; actual salary of $13 million
Video: DAL@CHI: Seguin finishes on the give and go from Benn
Performance evaluation
Coming back from hip and knee surgery that forced him to miss most of the 2020-21 season, Seguin had a slow start and some below-average numbers. He tallied 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists) in 81 games, and looked like a different player.
Instead of being able to use his speed to get into open ice or create chances off the rush, Seguin worked hard to get in close and score some gritty goals. It was an impressive display of adapting, but it clearly hurt his total production.
Seguin spent his first six seasons in Dallas as a point-a-game player, so dropping down to 0.60 points per game last season definitely raises red flags. Like most of the forwards outside of the top line, he was also a minus player in puck possession (47.2 percent) and was second worst on the team in overall plus-minus at minus-21. He did finish second in shots on goal at 218 and was second in face-off winning percentage at 56 percent, so those were bright spots.
Seguin battled through a fractured foot in the playoffs and added four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games.
Video: DeBoer on Benn, Seguin: ‘They’re world-class players’
Expectations for 2022-23
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that people are going to talk about Seguin’s lack of production.
He has the No. 1 salary cap hit on the team at $9.85 million and will be the highest-salaried player in the league for 2022-23 at $13 million. For the Stars to succeed, they need their best players to produce.
Now, Seguin has had extenuating circumstances. The injuries were serious, and they definitely affected his performance. He had to find a different way to play the game that didn’t rely as much on his skating speed.
So, if he is healthy and if the new coaching staff has a good plan, could Seguin return to those point-a-game numbers?
He’s only 30, so that definitely seems a possibility. Because the top line has been so good, Seguin seems to slot into the No. 2 center role for this season. Could he move to the right wing if a player like Wyatt Johnston or Logan Stankoven look fantastic in preseason? That’s a discussion worth having. But you could just as easily say that Seguin could play center and one of the younger players (or Denis Gurianov) could be the second line right wing. Mix into the equation the fact that free agent Mason Marchment has to get some consideration for second line left wing ahead of Jamie Bennand you have a mixed bag of parts for that second line.
How the coaching staff assembles those parts will go a long way in determining if Seguin can get back to his scoring ways. If he is healthy and if he is skating well, that will open all sorts of options for both the coaches and for Seguin.
Confidence can go a long way in creating numbers — as can chemistry with your linemates.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
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