Why Alexander Semin Needs a Center

Alexander Semin (Александр Валерьевич Сёмин, Pronounced "Syomin") is a remarkably talented hockey player.  He has a skill set to rival anyone's in hockey right now.  He has amazing puck control, slick passing ability, and a shot that most goalies don't see until it's too late.  Some people may question his desire and discipline, but that does not change his impact on hockey games:  he can blow a game open at any moment.  This forces opposing coaches to pay attention to him and draw some of the defensive pressure away from top-line winger Alex Ovechkin.

#28 Alexander Semin

Semin's greatest asset is his ability to create goals without a nice set-up pass.  He scores a large number of his goals this way, much the way Ovechkin did his first couple years in the league.

 

Semin Hat Trick

This begs the question:  if Semin is so good, why couldn't he score in the playoffs?  While Semin definitely had a few chances he should have buried among his first-round leading 44 shots, I would argue Semin did not have a playmaking center who could get him the puck in space to make a play.  My argument is if Semin had a regular center capable of producing at least 20 goals and 40 assists per year, Semin would be a 50 goal and 100 point per season player.  To make this argument, I examine Semin against his teammates and against a relevant example in the NHL.

What To Expect From Marcus Johansson

On paper, Marcus Johansson doesn't stand out in any particular way.  The Washington Capitals prospect nicknamed "Mackan" in Sweden is not the biggest player at 5'11 and 190 pounds and he doesn't have flashy numbers.  Even scouts who see him play will say that he doesn't have any particular facet of his game that stands out [Hockey's Future, NHL Draft Scouting Report, Scouting Report, Draft Story]. 

Marcus Johansson on draft day 

Rather, it is his all-around game that is his strength.  A left-shooting forward, he can play center and left-winger equally well.  He is a smart, fast player adept at both offense and defense and he usually comes away with the puck in the corners.  He likes to play with the puck and can usually find the open man with a pass, but he also has a nice shot selection he needs to use more often.  He has good stickhandling skills and good hand-eye coordination, skills that serve him well when he often plays in the heavy traffic areas.  He can be physical but doesn't usually seek contact, which is not surprising considering his 3 concussions, though there have been exceptions:

Boyd Gordon's Past and Future

Washington Capitals checking forward Boyd Gordon is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.  He made $761,250 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year qualifying offer of 110% of his 2009-10 salary, which equates to $837,375.  Judging by his history and his recent season, all indications point to him accepting his qualifying offer. 

#15 Boyd Gordon

Russia Defeats Canada 5-2 at Worlds

Olympic golden boys Team Canada fell 5-2 to Team Russia in the Quarterfinal round at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany today, in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates.  Washington Capitals goaltender Semyon Varlamov held the Canadians scoreless until there was 6:08 left in the game after the Russians stormed out to a 4-0 lead on goals by Maxim Afinogenov, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Fedorov.  John Tavares broke the shutout for Canada before Malkin added an empty net goal.  Matt Duchene added a goal for Canada with 14 seconds left for the final margin.  [Pictures]

#40 Semyon Varlamov

Eric Fehr's Contract

Now that Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee has signed his top priority this offseason in Nicklas Backstrom, he can begin to focus on his other pieces.

Capitals 3rd line right winger Eric Fehr is a restricted free agent this summer.  He made $771,750 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year Qualifying Offer of 110% of his 2009-10 Salary, which equates to $848,925.  Judging by other forwards around the league, Eric Fehr should be offered a multi-year contract worth quite a bit more than that. 

 #16 Eric Fehr

Philadelphia-Washington Regular Season Series

Washington Capitals Record vs. Philadelphia Flyers:  3-0-1

 vs.

The Games
October 6 in Philadelphia:  5-6 Overtime Loss
Goalies:  Ray Emery vs. Semyon Varlamov and Jose Theodore
Caps PP: 1/5, Caps PK 5/8
Shots For: 36, Shots Against: 41
Game Winner:  Daniel Briere
Notes:  Mike Richards had a hat trick, Matt Carle had 4 assists, Matt Bradley fought Ian Laperriere, Varlamov was pulled midway through the game after allowing 4 goals. 


October 27 in Washington:  4-1 Win
Goalies:  Ray Emery vs. Jose Theodore
Caps PP: 1/3, Caps PK 3/5
Shots For: 36, Shots Against: 43
Game Winner:  Alexander Semin
Notes:  Nicklas Backstrom scored 4 points, Jose Theodore stopped Darroll Powe on a penalty shot. 

Caps Notes 3/30/10 - Perreault Continues to Impress

-Congratulations to Jason Chimera, who recorded his 100th NHL assist last night on Mike Green's goal.

-Mathieu Perreault continues to make his case:  he already has as many goals (4) and points (9) this season as Alexandre Giroux has in his entire NHL career.  I think I know which one won't be recalled again this year.

Perreault already knows how to celebrate like a pro.

-We'll need Boyd Gordon's 60.1% faceoff win percentage come playoff time. After Gordon and 4th line center David Steckel (59.7%, 609 of 1020), the Capitals faceoff leaders are Brendan Morrison (51.2%, 486 of 948) and Nicklas Backstrom (49.9%, 620 of 1242).   Yikes.

Capital Inflation - New Career Highs

Much has been made of the tremendous offensive season the Capitals are having collectively and the scoring exploits of certain team members, but I thought it would be instructive to show just how many career seasons are going on right now for the Caps:

-Nicklas Backstrom has set a new career high in Goals (29) and Points (89).  His previous highs set last season were 22 Goals and 88 Points.

-Eric Belanger has set new career highs in Assists (25) and Points (39).  His previous highs were 24 Assists and 37 Points.

Hurricanes 4, Capitals 3 (OT)

The Hurricanes wanted it more tonight, scoring a goal in overtime to send the Caps to Tampa on a losing streak.  The game had a great tempo to start, few whistles and chances at both ends.  This was the game the Caps appeared to miss Alex Ovechkin, as they were not able to get the goals tonight.  It took a clutch goal from Eric Fehr with 10 seconds left to even get to overtime.  At least someone was celebrating:

It would have been nice to have some warning the Hurricanes would play so hard, but it was too late by the time Craig Laughlin made his pronouncement.  Admiral Ackbar wasn't happy:

Capitals 7, Panthers 3: It's Where Your Dad Always Tells You To Go

On a night when everything seemed to go right for the Capitals, one had to be reminded that the team's captain and best player was not on the ice.  The Capitals skated away with an easy victory in Sunrise, Florida tonight that ended with a football score after Brooks Laich kicked the extra point.  The toothless Panthers were able to score only on easy plays given to them by the occasionally careless Capitals as Jose Theodore shut the door time after time.

Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun had a strong game with several highlight reel saves, but ultimately yielded the crease to backup Scott Clemmensen at 14:06 of the second period after allowing 5 goals.  That change yielded a goal for the Panthers 22 seconds later, but otherwise the Capitals seemed like the only hockey team in this game.

The Capitals went 2-4 on the powerplay and 3-3 on the penalty kill.  They were rewarded for crashing the crease and the Panthers couldn't put them on their rears so they had no fear of playing in the blue paint.  Jason Chimera, who charged the goal mouth and scored a goal on a rebound of a Brendan Morrison shot, said "It's where your dad always tells you to go."

Milestone Achiever Awards

Last night against Carolina, the following Capitals achieved milestones:

-Tomas Fleischmann tied his career high in goals with 19.

-Alexander Ovechkin recorded his 250th career assist and 50th on the season. His 94th point moved him into a tie for 8th place with Mike Gartner on the team's single season point scoring list. 

-Brooks Laich recorded his 100th career assist.

-Eric Belanger recorded his first assist as a Capital.

The Big Lebowski would be proud.