Devils 3, Caps 2
On Tuesday, NHL agent Mark Gandler told Examiner.com’s Dmitry Chesnokov that he “doesn’t believe in discounts” as he begins contract discusions with the Caps on behalf of client Alexander Semin – a restricted free agent next summer. He also reportedly said “You don’t trade one of your best players from a playoff team to another playoff team. It is self defeating” when asked if a trade was possible if negotiations with general manager George McPhee falter between now and the trade deadline in March. (And just to be clear, Chesnokov is an independent blogger for Examiner.com – a sister company to the Washington Examiner – and the reporting is his own. I don’t want our newspaper to take credit for his conversation with Gandler.)
Now, Semin didn’t do Gandler – or himself – any favors with the stinker of a game he put up tonight. He blew two good scoring chances, didn’t take a shot until the third period and took three offensive-zone minor penalties. Just 24 hours earlier, Semin spoke to myself and Washington Times reporter Corey Masisak about how he planned to step up with teammate Alex Ovechkin out of the lineup: “I welcome that because it means I’m going to get tested more and probably more ice time. I look forward to that.”
But he didn’t back up those words at all. It was telling that with the Caps desperately pushing for the tying goal with goalie Semyon Varlamov pulled in the final minute Semin was planted firmly on the bench. He is Washington’s top offensive player with Ovechkin out and didn’t play the final 1:47. That’s unacceptable.
You don’t want to make too much out of one bad game. Semin could easily recover from this, go on to play 75 games and score 40 goals. He has the skill and the talent to do that. But the Caps have to look at the bigger picture beyond this season. Can they afford to pay an undeniably skilled player – one of the best in the world – the money he’s going to want as a restricted free agent this summer. Remember, center Nicklas Backstrom is an RFA, too. There’s just no way in the world – if the Caps have to make a choice between the two – that they will turn away from Backstrom. He’s younger and far more consistent at a harder position to fill.
Semin makes $5 million this year and his salary-cap hit is $4.6 million. At that price you can live with a streaky player who at a minimum should get you 30 goals – even if he misses 20 games with injuries, as Semin has done each of the last two seasons. He also consistently takes 35 to 45 penalties a season (pro-rated for games missed). But at $6 million? Or $7 million? Or even higher? The Caps are taking a huge risk at those prices. George McPhee has to decide if Semin’s skill and production are worth that. Nights like this one make that decision far easier than Gandler might think.
As for the rest of the game: Let’s not place full blame on Semin for this one. Brendan Morrison also took a bad penalty late in the game and Mike Knuble was also whistled for one in the third (although his was questionable, at best). Niclas Bergfors was credited with both New Jersey power-play goals in the final 10 minutes. The Caps’ best line was Chris Clark, Mathieu Perreault and Tyler Sloan – and that’s not going to be good enough on the road against a solid team. Martin Brodeur made 26 saves, including three or four terrific ones in the third period. Varlamov was strong in his own right, stopping 29 Devils shots. Perreault – in his first NHL game – assisted on Sloan’s first-period goal. Tomas Fleischmann added another one with 1:37 left and Varlamov off the ice to give the Caps hope, but it wasn’t enough. Next up: Florida Panthers in a back-to-back series on Friday and Saturday night. First game is on the road in Sunrise, Fla.
Follow me at Twitter.com/bmcnally14
