Semin's Future in DC

Capitals' winger Alexander Semin is in the final year of his contract and negotiations between his agent and the team stalled a few weeks ago and have not continued. The Capitals have said that they hope to resume talks soon, but this situation has had many analysts speculate about Semin's future in DC.


Why would they ever let someone with Semin's talent leave? The biggest reason is money. As a young team, most of the Capitals' players had low, entry level contracts. As these young superstars have developed, they are now looking to be rewarded with higher contracts. Now the Capitals have to account for the $56.8 million NHL salary cap. With stars such as Alexander Ovechkin, Semyon Varlamov, Mike Green, and Niklas Backstrom, Semin may be the odd man out. The Capitals are going to do whatever it takes to ensure that those players are signed. Semin will no doubt be looking for a high contract and if there is no cap space, then he will get the boot.

Compared to their other stars, Semin is definitely lower on the totem pole. He is very injury prone, having played only 63 games in 2007-2008 and 62 games in 2008-2009. So far this season he has missed 9 of the team's 33 games. He also has the disadvantage of playing the same position, left wing, as Ovechkin. With the Capitals' weakness on defense and in goal, Green and Varlamov have become huge priorities to sign. Backstrom has also proven to be a tremendous talent not so much for his scoring, but his play making abilities. Of the five, Semin is the only one truly expendable.

What does this mean going forward? Well, that's up to Semin. The Capitals may have more leeway than they originally thought with Michael Nylander and his huge salary being sent to AHL Grand Rapids as announced today. The Capitals certainly don't want Semin to leave. In 14 playoff games last season, he had 14 points. If Ovechkin isn't producing, Semin is usually there to pickup the slack or at least take some of the defensive pressure off of the Great 8. The problem is he probably won't get as big a contract as he may want or deserve. If he wants to stay in DC then he has to be prepared for that. The Capitals have said they wish to start negotiations again and we will have to see. If talks break down again, look for him to be traded in March at the trade deadline. A player of Semin's capabilities will not be allowed to walk away with the Capitals getting nothing in return. While this is probably not the scenario anyone wants, it is, I believe, the most likely.