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.

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

What Next Year's Team Should Look Like

Time to get over the loss to Montreal and start to look forward to next year. This is what I think next year's team should be and why.

(cap figures provided by www.nhlnumbers.com)

Forwards

Signed for 2010-2011

Alex Ovechkin $9,000,000, an elite player in the game, a must have for any great team.

Alex Semin, $6,000,000, a very talented but the caps should be very careful about a long term deal.

Mike Knuble $2,800,000, a great veteran player, and fits in well on the top line.

Brooks Laich, $2,400,000, a heart and soul guy and can play on any line.

Jason Chimera, $1,875,000, a fast gritty forward that every team would love to have.

Matt Bradley, $1,000,000, tough guy, a leader and not too expensive.

David Steckel, $1,100,000, good 3rd or 4th line center and a great face off guy.

Mathieu Perreault, $650,000, he could be a future second line centre.

Series Notes - Philadelphia Flyers

Here are some interesting notes on the Philadelphia Flyers.  

On The Shelf
With the injuries to center Jeff Carter and winger Simon Gagne, the Flyers are losing major firepower.  Carter has led the team in goals the past two seasons (46 and 33) and Gagne is their active leader in career goals (259).  Both players underwent foot surgery last week and are not expected to play in the second round of the playoffs. The Flyers literally shot themselves in the foot this time. 

  #17 Jeff Carter         #12 Simon Gagne

Flyers winger Ian Laperriere made a Quintin Laing-type play by blocking a shot with his face.  He is likely gone for the remainder of the playoffs.  He was one of their best penalty killers, something Philly desperately needs against the Capitals. 

#14 Ian Laperriere

Capital Milestones, 4/22/10

After last night's game in Montreal, several Capitals have achieved milestones.

-Semyon Varlamov won his 10th career playoff game.  With his 3rd win of the season, he has moved into second place in team history in wins by a rookie, behind himself.  Remember he turns 22 in five days.  

#40 Semyon Varlamov

Backstrom vs. Forsberg

Nicklas Bäckström has often been compared to his countryman Peter Forsberg.  Forsberg is a hockey legend, this is not a comparison that should be made lightly.  I will take a look at their beginnings and their first three NHL seasons to see if the comparisons are justified. 

The Beginning

#21 Peter Forsberg

Peter Mattias Forsberg, known as "Foppa" in Sweden, was born July 20, 1973 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.  He stands 6', 205, and is a left-shooting centerman.  His father was his coach in Sweden and was the national team coach. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 6th overall pick in the 1991 Enrty Draft and is considered arguably the best center in that draft.  He was traded to Quebec as part of the deal that sent #1 overall pick, center Eric Lindros, to Philly.  He began his NHL career at age 21 with the Nordiques during the strike-shortened 1994-95 season in French-speaking Quebec City. 

#19 Nicklas Bäckström

Nicklas Lars Bäckström, known as "Backis" in Sweden, was born November 23, 1987 in Gavle, Sweden.  He stands 6'1, 210, and is a left-shooting centerman.  His father, Anders, was a New York Rangers draft pick played 10 seasons of professional hockey.  He was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 4th overall pick in the 2006 Entry Draft and is considered the best center from that draft.  He began his NHL career at age 19 with the Capitals during the 2007-08 season.

Comparison:  They are similarly sized players with the same handedness at the same position.  Both have strong pedigrees and grew up in the Swedish system.  Both were highly touted prospects and were taken very early in their respective drafts. 

Familiar Faces

Here are some interesting notes on the Montreal Canadiens:

Familiar Faces
Canadiens center Glen Metropolit is expected to make his series debut tonight.  Metro began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Capitals in 1999-00 before leaving for Europe after the 2002-03 season.  He played 101 regular season games for the Caps, scoring 10 goals and 47 points, a +10 rating, and only 26 PIM.  He also appeared in 3 playoff games.  While he was not teammates with any of the current Capitals, he did play with Capitals right winger Mike Knuble with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.  In his minor league wanderings prior to coming to Washington, he had played with former Capitals Lou Franceschetti, Gaetan Duchesne, Reggie Savage, and Jeff Toms. 

Metropolit led the Canadiens with 10 powerplay goals this season.  He was supposed to be out 6-8 weeks with a separated shoulder suffered March 27. 

#15 Glen Metropolit

Unfamiliar Faces
-Of the 20 Montreal Canadiens to suit up against the Washington Capitals in this playoff series, 11 are in their first season with the Canadiens and 7 were drafted by the franchise.  By comparison, of the 21 Capitals to dress in this series, 6 are in their first season with the team and 9 were drafted by the franchise. 

Family Ties
-The Montreal Canadiens feature a pair of brothers, Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn of Novopolotsk, Belarus.  Andrei is just over two years older than Sergei, they are listed at the same height and weight (6', 210), and both are left-shooting left wingers.

#46 Andrei Kostitsyn   #74 Sergei Kostitsyn

Capitals 6, Penguins 3

On another night when the Capitals seemingly had nothing to play for, they sure played well against a team that had quite a bit to play for.  The Pittsburgh Penguins were playing one of their last games in their old arena and Sidney Crosby was turbocharged with 3 points to reach 100 for the season.  They kept turning pucks over and their goalie couldn't get the job done, and even though the referees only called one penalty on them, the Capitals made them pay.

Alex Semin

Capitals 4, Penguins 3 (SO)

Since he has become the Washington Capitals head coach, we have come to trust Bruce Boudreau's hunches.  From sticking with Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann when they were struggling to Fleischmann's move to center, to playing Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom on the penalty kill, Boudreau has shown time and again why he is the best hockey coach alive.  So when he sent Mike Knuble out in the shootout, we knew he had his reasons.

Capitals 4, Blackhawks 3 (OT)

The Washington Capitals came into Chicago for a rare morning game against a Blackhawks team chasing them in the race for the President's Trophy and a popular pick to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.  Suffering from the hangover of winning the division with 15 games to go, they had suffered a listless loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.  They had little to play for, and it showed.  They found themselves down three goals in the third period and without their captain after Alex Ovechkin was the recipient of another questionable ejection from the NHL on-ice officials, who were Dan O'Halloran and Frederick L'Ecuyer.