Pittsburgh Penguins closing in on Alexander Semin?
By Matt Shetler
For Ray Sherro and the Pittsburgh Penguins, if you can’t sign Zach Parise, Alexander Semin might be your best Plan B. It’s true that Semin can be a pain in the ass at times and a very frustrating player to watch, but when he’s hot, he can score like nobody’s business.
Semin’s decision will come down to dollars and potential teammates and if he feels he can click with a couple of guys on a team, there’s a better chance he’ll sign there.
That’s good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who could be the front runner for Semin’s services, especially since a report out of Russia has Semin on the verge of signing a one-year deal with the Penguins.
The Pens have turned their attention to Semin and Shane Doan as they attempt to land a top six winger and being able to play alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin has to be a rather good selling point.
Semin’s only 28, seven years younger than Doan and has scored 40 goals in the NHL before (2010).
While his production has dipped since then, scoring 28 goals in 2011 and only 21 in 2012, recording back-to-back 54 point seasons, Semin is still a gifted player in his prime and could do huge thinks playing next to Crosby or Malkin.
A Penguins lineup of Crosby, Malkin, Semin and James Neal as your top four forwards stands to be a team capable of big things on the offensive end.
Two years ago, it would have been awfully hard to believe that Semin could ever don a Penguins sweater, but that’s the move Shero has to make.
If he does, big things could be in store.