Discount Risk vs Expensive Gamble
Wojtek Wolski over Alex Semin?
Sure, why not?
It may not work for your fantasy team, but it sure seems like a good play by the Caps.
In addressing the reality that Alex Semin has ultimately been a very expensive gamble for the Washington Capitals over the last few seasons, it really doesn't seem that far a stretch to think that Wojtek Wolski will do a decent job filling the void left behind by #28's departure.
Of course, arguing talent and potential are moot points when it comes to comparing the players. But, in evaluating the possible return on investment for the Washington Capitals, well, it doesn't take an economist to tell you that risking $600K on one player versus $7.0M is a smart play.
Though fans and former teammates will likely miss the magic that Alex Semin occasionally sprinkled on Verizon Center ice, the reality was that, after years of counting on him to make a difference when it counted most, the cost of retaining Semin no longer matched his value to the team.
At certain points it seemed like the Caps were still considering keeping the 13th overall pick from 2002, but with the acquisition of Mike Riberio during the NHL Draft, the writing was on the wall that management would ultimately would be depositing their money elsewhere than Alex Semin's wallet.
In trading for the $5.0 million per year Ribeiro (on the last year of his current contract), Washington otherwise replaced Semin's out-going point totals. But it also shifted the hole on the second line from center to left wing.
With Ribeiro providing the Caps their much needed one-two punch down the middle, the second line will have a better balance right off the bat. That's certainly a positive.
The negative is that with Semin plying his talents in NASCAR country, Ribeiro won't have a pure sniper to play with.
Sure, Brooks Laich will be his usual, all-purpose self, but it's not fair to lay the pressure of filling Semin's role as 2nd line sniper on the Caps version of a Swiss Army Knife.
Left to fill the void, and signed for less than a tenth of what Alex Semin was demanding, is former Colorado Avalanche draft pick, Wojtek Wolski.
A former first round pick himself (21st overall in 2004), the once consistent 40-50 point player hit a rough patch over the past few seasons. Moving from the Avs in 2010, Wolski "passed through" Phoenix, New York (Rangers) and Florida (Panthers) before landing in Washington on his current one-year, $600K deal.
Though he remains a far cry from what Alex Semin assured the Capitals in terms of production, his upside is exponential versus what he is costing the Caps.
Sure, it's a risk. Wolski only played 31 NHL games last season (split between NYR and FLA), but the former 2006 NHL "YoungStar" has the ability to produce in the right circumstances.
And with the Caps current circumstances likely calling for him to the be third accomplice on the Ribeiro trio, there's a good chance that a goal-scoring oriented forward like Wolski can rediscover his touch alongside Laich and the former Montreal Canadiens draft pick.
Now, I am not contending that Wolski is better than Semin, nor that he will replace him. I am simply siding on the same cautionary basis as the Capitals.
In saving $6.4 million by adding Wolski over keeping Semin, the Caps have a decent chance of replacing his value, while at the same time have left themselves with more than enough money on the table to seek additional help, should they feel the need.
While stud defenseman, John Carlson, still needs to be signed, the idea of replacing Semin on the second line with Ribeiro and Wolski doesn't seem all that bad. Especially when you consider that George McPhee managed to add two players for $1.4 million less than it would have cost to keep the outgoing enigma.
What's your opinion?
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