Alexander Semin is ready but are the Penguins willing?
"Josh Yohe @JoshYohe_Trib July 6
Alex Semin's agent, Mark Gandler: "No question, playing in Pittsburgh would be great. Alex would love to play with either Malkin or Crosby." "
Alexander Semin has drawn plenty of discussion in the aftermath of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. His agent, Mark Gandler, spoke about what Semin is looking for in a new contract.
"I think the issue is with the organization, not necessarily with the coach," Gandler told
ESPN in May. "They told us Alex is not going to play short-handed, he's not going to play in the last minute. He's going to get the same ice time as everybody else ... Alex is not ready to be a role player. He wants to be a full-time player. It's important to him."
Semin’s employer of seven years, the Washington Capitals, no longer wants him back.
The right winger with a right-handed shot earned $6.7 million with the Caps in 2011-12 and is likely looking for a raise.
"It was good while it lasted. With the lack of playoff success, with the direction they are going. They decided to change directions. That's within their rights. Alex doesn't fit into that system obviously," Gandler told ESPN The Magazine. "It just doesn't make any sense to him. He plays, he did the best he could under the circumstances and he earned his right to be a free agent."
It doesn’t appear organizations are jumping at the chance to sign Semin, however.
Slava Malamud tweeted that the Russian may have a three-year, $30 million offer on the table with the KHL. There have been no reports of dollar or contract-length amounts thrown around by any NHL organizations.
So where does that leave Semin in regards to NHL teams, namely the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Semin didn’t endear himself to the Penguins organization with his
critical comments about Sidney Crosby.
But it was four years ago when Semin referenced Crosby and “dead wood” in the same interview.
A closer look at some of Semin’s statistics will paint part of his picture.
The 28-year-old forward touched 40 goals in 2009-10. He’s hit 30 goals on two other occasions and has surpassed 20 scores in every other season since his rookie campaign.
Durability is a reasonable area of concern. Semin has suited up more than 73 games just two times in his seven seasons.
That said, skill has never been a question mark for Semin. It’s his heart, his desire, his “softness quotient” that has Pittsburgh and the rest of the NHL hesitant. On the surface, nabbing a talented winger from a heated rival, such as the Caps, sounds like an excellent idea. How many former Penguins have come back to haunt the team? Max Talbot is the last of a long legacy of ex-Pens gaining a modicum of revenge.
How does Semin compare to the “average” Pittsburgh winger? There may be no better prototype of a Penguins winger than Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis doesn’t have the most talent in the world, but he skates hard and plays at a break neck speed. The North American is willing to go in the corners and take a hit to make a play.
There’s a certain workman-like quality with Dupuis, who puts the team above his own individual game.
Sound like Semin?
No it doesn’t. But even if certain areas that aren’t a high priority for some skilled players are lacking – Semin has averaged 29 hits and 16 blocked shots in the last three years – his bread and butter is putting the biscuit in the basket.
The question is really, can Pittsburgh afford to carry a mostly one-dimensional winger at a fairly expensive cost?
In pure dollar amounts the answer is yes. If Semin could merely perform at an average level on the ice aside from his offense then he’d be worth consideration. But what are the odds of that happening?
From a contractual standpoint, a one-year deal would make the most sense. A contract that was loaded with incentives might get the most out of Semin.
The Penguins know Semin as well as any player in the NHL. They know that his postseason numbers tumble. He averages 0.87 points per game in the regular season and 0.67 per game in the playoffs, 0.42 goals per game in the regular season and 0.29 goals per game in the playoffs.
Point totals come down in the postseason, but Semin has never really stepped up.
Can a
Russian White Goat change its spots?
The Penguins are a team in transition. As it stands in early July, they are a worse team than the one roused out of the playoffs by Philadelphia.
Signing Semin for four or five million dollars would take away a significant amount of the financial flexibility that the team has gained with the departures of Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek.
Is that the direction the team wants to go?
Right now there are more questions than answers. More than ever, it seems as though buyers outnumber sellers.
Even so, the Penguins and Ray Shero have never addressed their needs in a panic-driven frenzy.
Don't look for that to happen here with Semin, either.
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JT
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