It's Seguin's first game against the team that drafted him in 2010, developed and extended him in 2012 and traded him in 2013. You'll hear more about it over the next two days or so. What it boils down to, as told by general manager Peter Chiarelli in a lengthy interview with WEEI's D.J. Bean, is that the Bruins needed to clear space to re-sign Tuukka Rask and replace Nathan Horton, and Seguin's lack of physicality wasn't a match for Boston's system.

In short, Chiarelli says he knew the trade was an option once Seguin, coming off a 67-point season, signed his pre-lockout, six-year $34.5 million contract extension; the salary cap was bound to drop, and if that happened, someone needed to go. Chiarelli also said that concerns about Seguin's off-ice activities weren't "the only reason" for the move. The entire piece is worth your time.

Whether the trade turns out to be a wise long-term move remains to be seen, though Boston's return was solid enough. In any case, Seguin is linked up with two high-profile trades, and he's still just 21. Enough has been said about the Phil Kessel deal, which put Boston in position to pick Seguin, and trying to pick the winner of it is more difficult now that Seguin is a Star.

If the Edmonton Oilers had their way, it would've gotten complicated even earlier. They tried to acquire the 2010 No. 2 overall pick from Boston.

From Bean:

The Oilers wanted to deal for the second pick in order to get both Seguin and (Taylor) Hall, but their offer wasn’t substantial enough for the Bruins to consider parting with Toronto’s pick, which they’d gotten in the Kessel deal.

“They had made a push, and Tyler’s a talented player, so I could see why they wanted to make that push,” Chiarelli said. “I wasn’t prepared to move up to take the pick, because I felt they were both really close, though different players. I just basically waited to see which player I would get.”

Things fell the way they did and the Bruins grabbed Seguin, whom they deemed to have the biggest skill package in the draft, second overall.

Ooh, hypothetical time!

— Seguin winds up in Edmonton centering a line with Hall and, say, Jordan Eberle. They produce enough off the bat to save the Oilers a few ping-pong balls in the draft lottery.

— Seguin isn't around to have his two-goal, two-assist game for Boston in Game 2 of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals. Tampa Bay goes on to win in seven games, then gets swept in the Cup finals by the Vancouver Canucks.

— Edmonton doesn't wind up with the No. 1 pick, but still has to fork over the No. 2 pick in the 2011 draft to the Bruins, who use it on Gabriel Landeskog. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, meanwhile, is on the Colorado Avalanche.


WHITE HOUSE CALL OUT


It's not bad to be Corey Crawford; in six months, he's won a Stanley Cup, signed a $30 million contract and gotten chirped by President Obama.

Crawford and the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks were at the White House on Monday, where Obama, as is custom, honored the champs and made some jokes. One of them was at Crawford's expense — and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel's.

"We were originally going to let Corey Crawford say a few words ... but we need to keep this event family-friendly. You guys have been hanging out with Rahm Emanuel too much," Obama said.

Crawford, remember, dropped some Emanuel-esque F-bombs during the Blackhawks' victory parade. A rough transcript: "F------' right, Chicago! Biggest bunch of beauties in the league, f-----' worked their n--- off for this trophy! Wooo! No one will ever take this away from us! We're the champs!"


MO-VECHKIN


Alex Ovechkin is ready to play after missing two games with a shoulder injury, but who cares about that?

"It's Movember!!! Time for gr8 mustache ))))) Hahaha.. join me and @Gillette http://t.co/Q5hDIYJzmB," Ovechkin (@ovi8) tweeted Monday.

Ovechkin, who has an endorsement deal with Gillette, is growing a mustache. As for that shoulder, Ovechkin said it felt "pretty good," and that he'd play tonight against the New York Islanders. His coach wasn't quite as certain.

“He feels obviously a lot better, he got through a full practice, and we just make sure tomorrow everything’s okay,” Adam Oates told reporters, according to The Washington Post.

“I wouldn’t play him if I thought it was something that could linger. He’ll be close to 100 percent,” Oates said. “It doesn’t make sense to play a guy right now with something that’s lingering, and I don’t think that’s the case.”

Washington has won both games without the defending Hart Trophy winner. More impressively, they escaped Philadelphia in one piece.


BRIERE SKATING


Montreal Canadiens forward Daniel Briere no longer has concussion symptoms and has resumed skating.

Coach Michel Therrien says Briere skated Monday at the team's practice facility along with forward Brandon Prust, who has been out with a shoulder injury.

Briere sustained a concussion Oct. 19 after a hit by Nashville's Eric Nystrom and has not played since.

Briere had a goal and two assists in eight games before the injury. Prust, who also hasn't played since Oct. 19, has two goals and one assist.


BOLLAND REPLACEMENT


Lots of people in Toronto play hockey. Maybe one of them will end up as the Maple Leafs' second-line center.

The team announced on Monday that Dave Bolland is out indefinitely after surgery to repair a severed tendon on the outside of his ankle. A medical degree isn't necessary to project that he'll be out for a while. Also still out: Tyler Bozak, who's dealing with a hamstring injury and will miss at least the next six games.

Toronto's only healthy centers, for the moment, are Nazem Kadri, Jay McLement and Trevor Smith. That is not going to work.

Kadri is more than capable of centering Toronto's top line in Bozak's place. Bolland's absence is a bigger deal. From Cam Charron at The Leafs Nation:

He’s led Leafs centremen in possession so far this season (and only David Clarkson and Carter Ashton are ahead of him, and neither have played close to the minutes Bolland has). He’s taken 22% of his faceoffs in the offensive zone and 37% in the defensive, and faces above average forward competition. His only weakness so far this season is that he’d taken nine penalties and drawn just one, but he was everything he was advertised as, otherwise.

McLement is a terrific third-liner, and Smith is good enough on the fourth, but neither is close to ideal as a second-line center. Finding one on waivers is unlikely. Trading for one would be costly. For the time being, the best option might be seeing how winger James van Riemsdyk, drafted as a center and currently doing a great job with Kadri and Kessel, fares in that role—plus, he'd have time to practice at the position.

Contributors: Sean Gentille, The Associated Press

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