Seriously: Why Don’t the Anaheim Ducks Sign Alexander Semin?
There is practically nothing to lose, and a whole lot that could be gained, by signing the enigmatic Russian.
Let’s get right to the point this morning, shall we?
A little while back, I asked whether the Anaheim Ducks would be nuts to reach out to Alexander Semin. After all, Semin had just been waived by the Carolina Hurricanes, and despite everyone’s assumption that the Russian sniper would play in the KHL, Semin’s agent has insisted that he still wants to play in the NHL:
"Without question, Semin will play in the NHL and will have a great season,” [Todd] Diamond told Sportsnet today. “We’ve already received calls on him.”"
Well, either Todd Diamond is a terrible agent, a liar, or quite possibly both, but here we are on July 21, 2015, and Alexander Semin has not been picked up by one of the 30 teams in the NHL. That’s bad news for Semin, but could be good news for a team like the Anaheim Ducks – hear me out.
I’m aware that Semin was a disappointment in Washington, for the most part, and didn’t do anything to erase his image as a talented, yet severely under-achieving player in Carolina. No one is going to debate whether the Hurricanes were wise to buy out Semin’s contract, even though it will cost the team $14 million over the next six years – the team needs to move on, pure and simple, from the failure that was the Alexander Semin experiment.
So yes, there’s a history when it comes to Semin’s effort and focus . . . but the dude is already getting paid, so if he truly wants to give the NHL one last shot – if he truly has any pride as a professional hockey player at all – he’ll sign a one-year deal with a club for between $1-2 million and have the best season, effort-wise, of his otherwise disappointing career.
And the Anaheim Ducks would have nothing to lose by buying that club.
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Semin would be in a locker room with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, and Kevin Bieksa – veteran players who know their window of opportunity for winning the Stanley Cup is closing, soon. That’s exactly the sort of environment you want around such a flaky player, especially if Semin actually cares about showing everyone that he is not a total waste of oxygen on planet Earth. Clearly, the Ducks would need to keep Semin on a short-leash, as they would not want him to become a distraction that could derail their season – but the good news is, everyone would know that going into this relationship. The element of surprise is gone, and you have to think Semin has SOME pride, don’t ya?
Anaheim has tons of cap space, a handful of great players who are just beginning to enter the twilight of their career, and a “Win now” mentality. If GM Bob Murray can convince Todd Diamond that Semin is worth $2 million over one year AT MOST, this is an extremely low-risk, high-reward scenario. What’s the worst that happens – Anaheim loses to the Kings of Blackhawks, AGAIN?
Been there, done that – fortune favors the bold. That’s my two cents, and I’m sticking to it.
Next: The Ryan Kesler Extension? Part of Bob Murray's Evil Plan