I understand what you are saying about Alex Semin and the other players. Alex is a true joy to watch play. Like Roboturner913 said, there is the possibility of him getting hurt or traded. Tough call but if you can swing it somehow I would go for it and renew. You could sell some along the way or something. Anyhow for what it's worth, IMO Alex Semin will NOT be with the team next year. There are lots of variables but I just have that gut feeling about it. If in fact there are some bad dynamics within the team and bad karma, etc., especially if some of it is being dumped on A. Semin for whatever reason, I don't believe that he will be putting up with anything similar than what happened in Washington. He has learned from that experience and will be watching closely. He won't be a part of another team with what he perceives to be disfunction at this point in his career. Who really knows for sure what he's thinking? If he has options which I think he has, he will be exploring all and doing whatever it is that he feels is best for his career. After that and no matter where he ends up, he will be the team player he has always been.