Comments on: The Jeckyl and Hyde of Alexander Semin

By: todd

todd — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:59:03 +0000

Danny,
The 1.36 to 1.28 isn’t a valid standard. Semin, since his return from the injury is averaging exactly 1 ppg which is something he’s never done for an entire season. AO, in that same period, is averaging 1.2 ppg. Which number to believe in? Who do you want? Semin’s first 15 or so games are no more clear picture of what his year-end numbers will be anymore than AO’s number over the last 20 games. I mean really, why don’t I just take the average of someone who got off to a great start and than missed the last 25 games and try to trade him based on that? I’ll tell you what, how about this, AO has 59 points so far this year and Semin has 41. Who do you want on your team?
When we get to the end of the year we can look at average points but it’ll still be misleading – I need my guys on the ice every game.
As I said before, I don’t want to trade Semin and I hope he has a long career in a Caps sweater but PLEASE stop with the Semin-to-AO comparison; it’s simply cherrypicking the numbers.

By: Danny

Danny — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:00:00 +0000

There would be no reason for the Caps to get rid of him. He is one of 2 players we have that we know can score goals routinely. Backstrom, Green, Federov, Kozlov, Fleischmann may chip in a goal here and there, but if Semin is on the ice, he makes things happen.
So what if he takes a few penalties? He has more points per game than Ovechkin (1.36 to 1.28) and he might have the best wrist shot in the game.
We could use some defensive help, but I’d rather try and get rid of Nylander or Clark who bring NOTHING to the table. Not that we’re likely to get anything for them….

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:38:03 +0000

Lots of great points made in the OFB storyline and in the reader comments section. It boils down to this:
a) Every player has their good and bad points; to get the good, you must accept the bad
b) I do think Semin has positively evolved and will continue to mature and improve
c) Semin’s not the only Cap to make bone-headed plays and penalties, but he seems to endure the most criticism. In part, this is due to the flashy side of his skill sets and in part this is due to press/blog coverage just like this
d) I am sure the Caps ownership believes Semin is a core piece of the future; he’s one of the four “Young Guns”
e) yes, Semin is apparently Ovechkin’s closest friend on the team and their friendship goes back even before they played in the NHL
f) Semin hasn’t out-priced himself at this point, and we have one more year on his contract
g) When his current deal expires in the summer of 2010, Semin is still a Restricted Free Agent
h) points a through g likely mean “HE AIN’T GOING ANYPLACE”.

By: todd

todd — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:35:05 +0000

The season isn’t over and PPG and the +22 can be misleading. The assumption seems to be that if he hadn’t missed 15 games (or whatever the number) that he would still be +22 and averaging 1.36 PPG. In fact, if you consider a return to norm, his numbers will come down, as will (and have, Malkin’s) to something more like his career number. Yes..I know they are facts at this moment but his numbers, even as high as they are, are inflated based on the first twenty games. That, does not a season, or career, make.
Having thrown that out. I don’t want to trade him, I like him, but I think we’ve got a much higher opinion, as Caps fans, of him than he’s yet earned. I also totally agree that he could well be three years away from becoming the player he’ll be (see Datsyuk above) and someone would have to offer a huge talent for me to want the Caps to consider trading him.
I think we often want to compare him to AO, who at 23? seems like a more complete player, and that’s not really fair. Any more fair than adding in the snapshot of “including Ovi Datysuk, Crosby, etc.” as some measurement. Semin is none of those three by a long ways…right now.

By: grapejoos

grapejoos — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:58:07 +0000

This is to #26 but I’m not sure if it’s going to work. Thank you. Semin is young and immensely talented. If the Caps were to trade him for anything other than a guaranteed stud defenseman, I would be certain they’d regret it. Does he do infuriating things sometimes? No question. But the fact is, he is the 2nd best goal scorer on this team and that +22 means a lot more than some are giving him credit for.
Also, Semin has 1.36 points per game this season. You know who has scored more than 1.36 points per game this year (with a meaningful number of games)? Malkin. You know who hasn’t? Every other player in the league, including Ovie, Datsyuk, Crosby, etc.

By: Bucky Katt

Bucky Katt — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:13:41 +0000

There’s an old US Navy saying that one “Aw $*&t wipes out 10 attaboys”. Same holds here. But I think some patience is still warranted with #28. Does he make bonehead plays?…Yep..but he has improved as his +/- rating indicates. He’s still maturing as a player. I’m sure continued exposure to Feds as a mentor will help in this regard.

By: b.orr4

b.orr4 — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:03:40 +0000

Unlike apples, players who are among the upper echelon in skating, stickhandling and shooting don’t grow in trees. Yet here you are, p&b, hinting at shipping the guy out of town because of some mindless plays. Semin is a rare talent, in fact, a VERY rare talent that you don’t even think about getting rid of until you’re 100% sure he can’t be developed to match his superstar abilities. Does the name Brett Hull ring a bell? Calgary tired of his mouth and undisciplined play, so they traded him to Dallas where all he did was lead them to a Stanley Cup and earn himself a spot in the HHOF. And haven’t we as fans learned about the dangers of running a player out of town because of his penchant for untimely turnovers. Anybody remember Larry Murphy and how we were all so glad to get rid of him? Of course, all he did after leaving town on a rail was mature into the player who won four Cups and got selected to the HHOF. Here’s the simple fact, Semin is just 24 years old and he is clearly one of the most skilled players in the NHL. If he were 27-28, you might think about it, but no GM in his right mind is going to trade a kid with that much proven potential unless it’s mind-boggling, blow you away deal. And as for the comparisons to Datsyuk-let’s get real. For starters, Pavel is 6 years older and didn’t develop into the player he is now until his mid to late 20s. But for fun, let’s compare their first three seasons in the league. In 209 games, Datsyuk scored 53 goals and 154 points. In 192 games, Semin scored 74 goals and 137 points. Datsyuk’s averaged .73 points per game. And what was Semin’s average? .71 points per game. Today, Datsyuk is one of the premier forwards in the league. Still want to trade Semin?

By: todd

todd — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:57:59 +0000

Chimaera,
I agree. I don’t think anyone thinks Semin is a cancer or anything like it. The coach needs to find a way to work on the deficiencies and get on with the positive. Speaking of addressing issues that I don’t like – and to be fair in looking at the players – I’m tired of our PP point play. I know…I could simply say everyone’s great and the season is great, but what good is that? We’d like to get better.
AO and Green are far below average when playing the points. I love both guys and I accept the risks involved, but so many pucks run out of the zone due to positioning. They both like to wander, which is their style, but I’d like to see AO moving in the zone (he LOVES the flat-angle slapper from below the circle) and not being required to cover the point. The lack of “stay on the point” play by both causes some issues. Even if they do get back they oftentimes aren’t able to hold the puck in. I’ve watch a ton of games from the top teams and they’re much more dedicated to the point. I know…it’s the style. Just saying.
Props to Erskine for being a presence since his return. I love the way Steckel is coming on. I’m a huge Killer B’s line fan (Boyd, Brash, Bradley). I dogged Theo relentlessly for two months but he deserves his due. He’s been great fo the last 10-12 games.
I’m not always negative.

By: Chimaera

Chimaera — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:39:17 +0000

to #17 Topshelf. Certainly, him scoring has helped that number go up. But in the past he was a 40 goal scorer (almost) and had a significant difference in that number. I certainly think that playing with Fedorov helps a lot, and I can see the dominating Backstrom, Ovechkin, Semin line helping out, but he has made a specific effort to come back, back check (something he didn’t even do at all in his first year or two) and has been featured significantly on the PK. I personally think he’s one of the better PK players (and he also doesn’t seem to cost them there that much) on a unit that is generally poor at best.
to #18, Todd, at the beginning of the year, it was Semin carrying the load. This team was listless without much scoring from the vaunted Backstrom, Ovechkin combo, and Semin was doing most of the heavy lifting until he got hurt. Ovechkin’s goaless streak and short sabbatical did not hinder their gaining points (though it was a struggle some). While I don’t like to worry about what it would be like without Ovechkin, I do think he[Semin] has the ability to do some significant lifting if need be to keep the team competitive for a few weeks.
I’ll say this on the whole subject, I think a team like this does need a bit of the wild card that Semin brings. Sure, it would be better to have 10 more Ovechkins on the team, but that isn’t possible. Semin’s offensive gifts and at least passable effort at improving in his own zone do mean a lot. Yes, he does make stupid plays. Yes, he is probably just as likely to end up with a hat trick of lazy penalties (hook, dive and an interference) as he is a regular hat trick. But until he proves he is a cancer and will torpedo any big run they have, I think his gifts outweigh any negatives. Do you want him to work on the negatives? Heck yes. But this team is still only in their second legitimate run towards something big. If he blows up in their face come Playoffs, I’m certainly in the, he might be a negative on the roster category.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:04:55 +0000

Everyone wants the perfect hockey team. No great team has absolute perfection, in fact the strengths, eccentricities and deficiencies of the various players – and how the team manages them – make a team great. It is all about how the team manages them.
Ditch Semin because he doesnt fit your ideal? Come on. He is an extremely talented hockey player and if the Caps cant manage to his and others talent (and lapses) then the Caps will not win the Cup.
Also, Semin got off on the wrong foot, now his almost un-OV-like personality makes him a goat. All the complaints about Semin could be applied to any other player including OV.