Alex Semin, with all of his deft dekes and raw talent, remains a mystery. Now that the summer before what could be his final season in Washington has arrived, Semin is hoping for a contract extension as one of the team's two big-name RFAs next summer. (The other is Nicklas Backstrom, a lock to remain in the red, white and blue for a long time.)
Semin's first 16 games and last 21 of the 2008-09 campaign were some of his best of his career. In between, however, he disappeared. Cast in point: in those 38 games, Sasha scored 25 goals and registered 28 assists. In between, he missed 19 games and only scored nine times.
Furthermore, Semin boasted the second-most points in the league in the season's first quarter (Patrick Kane had 31 to Semin's 27) and, in the final quarter, he was sixth at 26 (Alex Ovechkin boasted 33 points in his last 21 games).
Semin also posted the worst points-to-penalty-minute ratio among the team's top-five scorers (79 points, 77 PIMs, 1.03). Backstrom had the best (88 points, 46 PIMs, 1.9), followed by Brooks Laich (53 points, 31 PIMs, 1.7), Ovechkin (110 points, 72 PIMs, 1.53) and Mike Green (73 points, 68 PIMs, 1.07).
Backstrom and Laich were the only two Caps to play all 82 games; Matt Bradley played 81, Ovechkin and Milan Jurcina suited up for 79. (Semin played just 62.)
Semin is scheduled to earn $5 million next season (third on the team, tied with Green, behind Ovechkin and Michael Nylander) and probably ask for more in his next contract. In order for him to earn his keep, however, he needs to play more games, register more points and lower his penalty minutes.
If not, GM George McPhee and the Caps should seriously consider trading him this summer (which this blogger favors), keeping him at a reduced cost beyond next season or letting him walk to the highest bidder (while taking the compensation received for a lost RFA).
June 23, 2009
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