Why Alexander Semin Is a Knee-Jerk Mistake for the Devils
Posted 3:11 AM ET | Comments 0
Hello out there to my fellow Devils fans who are brave enough to read hockey blogs in the wake of the Parise saga.
With Zach gone, I hardly recognize this team on paper. They lost so much character but blah blah blah, its time to move on. A lot of talk thats being thrown around the Devils fanbase has been to go in strong for Alexander Semin. In Semin, a lot of grieving fans see a chance to replace their departed captain on the top line with a new, exciting scorer. Here's why I think this would be a big mistake and why I do not think Lou will even make a pitch to Semin.
I can go on and on about Semin's character and motivation problems, but I'll leave that to Pierre McGuire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6jRXaKZz44). All I will say is that after watching Semin first hand the last couple years, I agree with most of his criticisms. But there's always a chance at redemption, right?! Maybe he was in the wrong system, under the wrong coach, right?! Wrong. During his time with the Caps he's seen three different head coaches who have worked hard with him individually and even implemented different strategies just to help him feel comfortable. Although I love DeBoer as a coach, I do not think a relatively young (albiet effective) coach like him could take a guy like Semin and turn his career around. I would sooner bet that Semin would disrespect DeBoer's authority, and compromise his ability to lead the team in front of the other players.
Now comes the part where my Devils buddies tell me that, "Wait a minute. Kovalchuk and Semin know each other from the National team. Kovalchuk can help change his personality and work ethic. Kovy had motivation issues in Atlanta as well." To which I say (ignoring the case that Semin and Ovechkin are also very good friends and Ovie hasn't helped his work ethic one bit), Kovalchuk and Semin are very different. I give Kovalchuk credit for getting up and going to work everyday for eight years in front of 9,000 fans on a bottom-of-the-barrel team and still producing what he did. Semin's situation has nearly no parallels. Washington sold out every game this year and Semin played on a star-studded team that had its sights set on a Stanley Cup. There is no excuse for Semin not to show up and be motivated on a daily basis. I have a strong impulse that Kovalchuk would actually lose a lot of character and motivation if he's paired up with a friend who doesnt care if they win or lose everyday.
So back to the initial point of the Devils looking for a guy to compensate for the loss of Parise. One of the biggest problems that I have with the Semin proposal is that he does not address what the Devils lost (from their Stanley Cup contending roster) in Parise. I know very well Parise cannot be replaced, but there are still players that can bring the attributes that Parise provided for the Devils. Two important attributes that Parise brought were grit and leadership.
Looking at the depth chart, the top line is missing that feisty forechecking presence that Zach had. Could you imagine Semin taking a beating and digging in the trenches for loose pucks the way our former captain did? I can't. I see Semin floating around the hashmarks looking to set up a shot that may never get to him, and then lackadaisically skating back to the defensive zone.
Semin also does nothing to compensate for the leadership vacuum that Parise has left behind. If anything, Semin would most likely make leading this team more difficult for any of our current players attempting to step up in the locker room. The captain situation and where it is going is a whole different conversation, but the Devils need to bring in some established leaders to this team to keep them focused throughout the season. Investing in Semin would take the team in a completely different direction.
Now that I've squashed the hopes of some of my fellow Devils-faithful out there, I have to offer an alternative. Who is my target? Brenden Morrow. The current captain of the Dallas Stars who are in the midst of a major makeover. Morrow plays gritty in front of the net the way Parise does, and has the experience to lead the locker room. He comes at a $4.1 mil cap hit, and with a year left on his contract, the Devils can decide whether they want to keep him around or not. Going the other way would most likely be some kind combination of Jacob Josefson and Andy Greene. The Stars are looking for an athletic centerman and they will be able to give JJ major ice time. The specifications of the trade would be a source of long debate on here but you get the picture.
The bottom line is that signing Semin would be a knee-jerk reaction that would not be in the best interest of the Devils. Lou is well aware of this and that is why I do not think this will happen. I can understand the dismay and desire to go out and buy the flashiest guy on the market to drown our sorrows, but this is just not the right move to make.
Yours Truly,
The Jersey Devil
If you like my writing, follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/what_the_puck1
With Zach gone, I hardly recognize this team on paper. They lost so much character but blah blah blah, its time to move on. A lot of talk thats being thrown around the Devils fanbase has been to go in strong for Alexander Semin. In Semin, a lot of grieving fans see a chance to replace their departed captain on the top line with a new, exciting scorer. Here's why I think this would be a big mistake and why I do not think Lou will even make a pitch to Semin.
I can go on and on about Semin's character and motivation problems, but I'll leave that to Pierre McGuire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6jRXaKZz44). All I will say is that after watching Semin first hand the last couple years, I agree with most of his criticisms. But there's always a chance at redemption, right?! Maybe he was in the wrong system, under the wrong coach, right?! Wrong. During his time with the Caps he's seen three different head coaches who have worked hard with him individually and even implemented different strategies just to help him feel comfortable. Although I love DeBoer as a coach, I do not think a relatively young (albiet effective) coach like him could take a guy like Semin and turn his career around. I would sooner bet that Semin would disrespect DeBoer's authority, and compromise his ability to lead the team in front of the other players.
Now comes the part where my Devils buddies tell me that, "Wait a minute. Kovalchuk and Semin know each other from the National team. Kovalchuk can help change his personality and work ethic. Kovy had motivation issues in Atlanta as well." To which I say (ignoring the case that Semin and Ovechkin are also very good friends and Ovie hasn't helped his work ethic one bit), Kovalchuk and Semin are very different. I give Kovalchuk credit for getting up and going to work everyday for eight years in front of 9,000 fans on a bottom-of-the-barrel team and still producing what he did. Semin's situation has nearly no parallels. Washington sold out every game this year and Semin played on a star-studded team that had its sights set on a Stanley Cup. There is no excuse for Semin not to show up and be motivated on a daily basis. I have a strong impulse that Kovalchuk would actually lose a lot of character and motivation if he's paired up with a friend who doesnt care if they win or lose everyday.
So back to the initial point of the Devils looking for a guy to compensate for the loss of Parise. One of the biggest problems that I have with the Semin proposal is that he does not address what the Devils lost (from their Stanley Cup contending roster) in Parise. I know very well Parise cannot be replaced, but there are still players that can bring the attributes that Parise provided for the Devils. Two important attributes that Parise brought were grit and leadership.
Looking at the depth chart, the top line is missing that feisty forechecking presence that Zach had. Could you imagine Semin taking a beating and digging in the trenches for loose pucks the way our former captain did? I can't. I see Semin floating around the hashmarks looking to set up a shot that may never get to him, and then lackadaisically skating back to the defensive zone.
Semin also does nothing to compensate for the leadership vacuum that Parise has left behind. If anything, Semin would most likely make leading this team more difficult for any of our current players attempting to step up in the locker room. The captain situation and where it is going is a whole different conversation, but the Devils need to bring in some established leaders to this team to keep them focused throughout the season. Investing in Semin would take the team in a completely different direction.
Now that I've squashed the hopes of some of my fellow Devils-faithful out there, I have to offer an alternative. Who is my target? Brenden Morrow. The current captain of the Dallas Stars who are in the midst of a major makeover. Morrow plays gritty in front of the net the way Parise does, and has the experience to lead the locker room. He comes at a $4.1 mil cap hit, and with a year left on his contract, the Devils can decide whether they want to keep him around or not. Going the other way would most likely be some kind combination of Jacob Josefson and Andy Greene. The Stars are looking for an athletic centerman and they will be able to give JJ major ice time. The specifications of the trade would be a source of long debate on here but you get the picture.
The bottom line is that signing Semin would be a knee-jerk reaction that would not be in the best interest of the Devils. Lou is well aware of this and that is why I do not think this will happen. I can understand the dismay and desire to go out and buy the flashiest guy on the market to drown our sorrows, but this is just not the right move to make.
Yours Truly,
The Jersey Devil
If you like my writing, follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/what_the_puck1