Player Discussion Alex Semin Thread

[CapitalsCupReality]

His only major wart was being prone to injury. If he could have stayed healthy I think he could have had a much longer career.

Please…take off your Semin shaded glasses…his ”flame” was a flicker compared to Ovi.

 

[Calicaps]

Please…take off your Semin shaded glasses…his ”flame” was a flicker compared to Ovi.

LOL

Desire and commitment don't show up in the pretty grafffs.

 

[twabby]

Desire and commitment don't show up in the pretty grafffs.

Of course these items also don't show up on the scoreboard and the standings, otherwise Quintin Laing and Matt Bradley's skull would be perennial MVPs.

Style vs. substance is a common theme around here. Aside from durability and maybe taking a few too many penalties, the critiques of Semin are mainly just stylistic. A lot of people don't like the way he looked, ignoring his incredibly huge impact on the team's goal differential in all situations and in all three zones.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Of course these items also don't show up on the scoreboard and the standings, otherwise Quintin Laing and Matt Bradley's skull would be perennial MVPs.

Style vs. substance is a common theme around here. Aside from durability and maybe taking a few too many penalties, the critiques of Semin are mainly just stylistic. A lot of people don't like the way he looked, ignoring his incredibly huge impact on the team's goal differential in all situations and in all three zones.

View attachment 896048

What did the entire teams numbers looks like, for the same snapshot you are exhibiting here?

Semin is also not remembered fondly as a playoff “warrior”. Post 08-09, you could actually call him a dog. 9-10 in particular, he let them entire team down. After that, he never made much noise for this team, and that absolutely impacts people’s feelings on him.

 

[RandyHolt]

My favorite Semin years were early on when it was just him and every goal he scored he would have to and did beat 3 4 or 5 players himself to score his goals. Immense talent. Sadly, when the playoffs started he would just take his patented weight on the off skate shot and miss the net high and wide over and over. He wasnt alone, Ovi and Green did the same a plenty.

Anyone ever get a signature out of him? IIRC he would ignore requests like an unsocial champ.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

From an impact POV he was in the top 5 or 10 depending on the metric:

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View attachment 895746

Hard to expect more out of a player, and it's why I generally take arguments about him not caring and place those arguments into the garbage can.

All I think about when I see this chart is how disappointing McPhee was at building a roster around the Young Guns. Ovi, Semin, and Backstrom were 5, 6, and 7 in that top chart. He made no big swings to shore up center or defensive depth, and the one big swing he did make was for a winger and is one of the worst trades in NHL history.

 

[twabby]

What did the entire teams numbers looks like, for the same snapshot you are exhibiting here?

Semin is also not remembered fondly as a playoff “warrior”. Post 08-09, you could actually call him a dog. 9-10 in particular, he let them entire team down. After that, he never made much noise for this team, and that absolutely impacts people’s feelings on him.

Everyone has bad postseasons, even really good players. Ovechkin was pretty bad in 2013 and 2017. Backstrom was ineffective in 2011 and 2013. Semin still put 40 shots on goal. Small consolation but it's not like he was dogging it. He was snakebit against Halak.

 

[twabby]

The other curious thing about the "bad teammate" criticism is that Semin continually took under market-value one year deals with Washington so he never left Washington in a bad spot when it came to the salary cap.

Personally I wish he would have demanded more earlier in his career because I think players deserve to get paid, but from a team perspective shouldn't we look at his contract concessions as selfless?

 

[Midnight Judges]

All I think about when I see this chart is how disappointing McPhee was at building a roster around the Young Guns. Ovi, Semin, and Backstrom were 5, 6, and 7 in that top chart. He made no big swings to shore up center or defensive depth, and the one big swing he did make was for a winger and is one of the worst trades in NHL history.

Wasn't Chara a UFA during that span of time? Maybe just before it?

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

As others pointed out, lots of similarities with Kuzy in terms of the role they occupied on the team. Semin had the better shot, but Kuzy was the better skater/playmaker of the two.

I miss his ability to turn the game around instantly with a single shot. I could watch him take those wrist shots all day.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

The other curious thing about the "bad teammate" criticism is that Semin continually took under market-value one year deals with Washington so he never left Washington in a bad spot when it came to the salary cap.

Personally I wish he would have demanded more earlier in his career because I think players deserve to get paid, but from a team perspective shouldn't we look at his contract concessions as selfless?

You have some numbers to back that up?

Besides, the dude was just set, comfy and didn’t want to move. We saw what happened when he did…shortly out of the league….

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Wasn't Chara a UFA during that span of time? Maybe just before it?

Yup. He cheated out and signed Brian Pothier instead. The Caps and Bruins were the two final teams bidding for Chara and when the AAV got north of $6M McPhee balked. Prime Chara and MG52 as a top pair would have been legendary.

 

[Cappy76]

Anyone ever get a signature out of him? IIRC he would ignore requests like an unsocial champ.

I have a signed rookie card laying around somewhere

 

[Hivemind]

This goal is still one of the most insane plays I have ever seen.

 

[usiel]

Yup. He cheated out and signed Brian Pothier instead. The Caps and Bruins were the two final teams bidding for Chara and when the AAV got north of $6M McPhee balked. Prime Chara and MG52 as a top pair would have been legendary.

I don't hindsight 20/20 much but my brain always returns to losing out on Chara in the lens of feeling like they would have had another SC.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I don't hindsight 20/20 much but my brain always returns to losing out on Chara in the lens of feeling like they would have had another SC.

Or 2

 

[895]

Chara was demanding the Captaincy though.

I think the captaincy was vacant with Halpern slated to leave and Chris Clark yet to be appointed, but sometimes you just don’t want to give into a demand like that.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

This goal is still one of the most insane plays I have ever seen.

. . . plus it started with a successful Mojo drop pass!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Chara was demanding the Captaincy though.

I think the captaincy was vacant with Halpern slated to leave and Chris Clark yet to be appointed, but sometimes you just don’t want to give into a demand like that.

I’m not buying that. Was that printed anywhere? Dude was one of the ultimate leaders in the game, and that doesn’t sound very leader-like.

 

[Cappy76]

I thought GMGM wouldn't pay the price ultimately for Chara

 

[usiel]

I thought GMGM wouldn't pay the price ultimately for Chara

Tapped out once it hit six million apparently.

 

[895]

I’m not buying that. Was that printed anywhere? Dude was one of the ultimate leaders in the game, and that doesn’t sound very leader-like.

From the Athletic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1528420/2020/01/13/zdeno-chara-1000-games/

While the Bruins were negotiating with the free-agent defenseman in the summer of 2006, he informed the organization he would sign only if he were named captain. The thought of a player wearing the “C” on his sweater without ever playing a game for the Bruins was unthinkable. Bobby Orr only wore an “A” on his sweater during his career, and here’s Chara basically demanding the captaincy. At the time, the Bruins did not have a captain, and the direction of the organization was in flux. He knew, if named captain, he could immediately build an environment that he thought would equal success.

 

[RandyHolt]

Semin would have made a great captain. /s

I struggle to think of who would have been a worse captain. I suspect he abhorred the idea of being one.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

From the Athletic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1528420/2020/01/13/zdeno-chara-1000-games/

While the Bruins were negotiating with the free-agent defenseman in the summer of 2006, he informed the organization he would sign only if he were named captain. The thought of a player wearing the “C” on his sweater without ever playing a game for the Bruins was unthinkable. Bobby Orr only wore an “A” on his sweater during his career, and here’s Chara basically demanding the captaincy. At the time, the Bruins did not have a captain, and the direction of the organization was in flux. He knew, if named captain, he could immediately build an environment that he thought would equal success.

Maybe i misunderstood, I thought you meant he told the Caps that. For the Bruins it was a no brainer, hindsight or not…

 

[895]

Maybe i misunderstood, I thought you meant he told the Caps that. For the Bruins it was a no brainer, hindsight or not…

He probably did?

If he made that demand of a franchise as historic as the Bruins, why wouldn't he do that here?

The point is GMGM did not necessarily tap out on Chara because he was being frugal.