Taylor Hall vs. Tyler Seguin: 3 Years Later Oilers Made Right Choice

Leading up to the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the debate raged on about who the Edmonton Oilers should take with the first overall pick; Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin.  Both considered to be dynamic players on the ice and someone you could build your team around, it was said to be a win-win situation regardless of who they took.  Fast forward three years later and it’s clear that the Oilers made the right decision by choosing Taylor Hall.

Tyler Seguin has come under intense scrutiny over the past few weeks, ever since the Boston Bruins lost the Stanley Cup final to the Chicago Blackhawks.  He was traded to the Dallas Stars following this year’s draft after Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli went on record and urged him to be more of a professional.  The deal has since brought out Seguin’s partying lifestyle that included reports about the 21-year old taking in the Toronto nightlife during Boston’s first round playoff matchup.  His play during that first round declined dramatically and he was never able to get back on track in the next three rounds when the competition was taken up a notch or two.

Now this isn’t a forum to trash Tyler Seguin.  He’s young, has a ton of money and is doing what so many other hockey players surely do at  that age.  Unfortunately for him he’s being ridiculed for it.

Rather than run down Seguin’s behavior and character, the focus is on Taylor Hall and why the Oilers made the right choice, three years later.

Sure Seguin has won a Stanley Cup and has been to the playoffs the first three years of his career.  But Taylor Hall is emerging as a leader not only within the Edmonton Oilers but around the league as well.

He wears his heart on his sleeve every night and leaves everything he has on the ice.  Forget about going around a defender, Hall would go right through him if he could and on many nights it looks as though he’s trying to do just that.

Some call him reckless and that his career will eventually be cut short when injuries start to mount, like that of Cam Neely or Wendel Clark.  Maybe that’s the case but for right now and the forseeable future, Oilers’ fans are thrilled to be able to watch this guy play for their team.

Through his first three years in Edmonton, Hall has recorded 145 points in 171 games.  Seguin has 121 points in 203 games.  There’s the difference in style of play creeping in again with Seguin having played 32 additional games thanks to injuries that have sidelined Hall.

But dare to compare the point per game averages: Hall is an impressive 85% versus Seguin’s 60%.

Throw in Hall’s leadership qualities and the chance that he’ll be named the Oilers next captain and the scales are tipping dramatically in Taylor’s favor, yet again.  Add in Seguin’s distractions that he’s brought forth over the past couple of years which have included sleeping and missing a mandatory team breakfast to go with the excessive partying reports and it’s becoming clear that the Oilers made the right decision.

Taylor over Tyler.  It happened three years ago at the draft and when looking at it now, it’s easy to make the same decision again.  When both of their careers are over (hopefully in twenty years) perhaps maybe then the argument will be made that Seguin was the better choice, depending on how both players’ careers play out.  For now though, the Oilers took the right player at the right time and now it’s his team to carry forward.

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