So, turn it around.
What would you give to acquire Eric Staal (who will be UFA after next season) and pay him $9.5M?
Or, how much would you want? :sarcasm
..And the cap doesn't matter to them either since they can pay people in the minors a lot which doesn't count under the cap.
If Columbus and toronto can figure out how to unload Nathan Horton for David Clarkson and if JR can get a buyer for Tomas Kaberle, anything is possible-- except for Alex Semin, that might be the most radioactive contract in the league.
The Semin weirdness continues...yesterday WTVD did a piece on the Canes exit interviews and Semin agreed to be interviewed (but not showing his face on camera). He blamed perhaps his surgery last summer on his unproductive season...BTW...those 6 goals this past season were worth about $1.2 million per goal!!! This guy continues to be one of the worst acquistions in the history of sports...bravo yet again JR!!!
I get your point and I also get that you're in flux on how to handle Semin. Your "warm body theory" of a player who has skill is an option, but he's the type of player that can suck the life out of a rebuild. You expend energy working around him and trying to get others to work harder, play your system and play a complete game when he does no such thing. How do you handle a Jeff Skinner who was completely underwhelming in all facets of the game when you have a Semin?If the Canes are not going to obviously contend next year, I'm not convinced now that we HAVE to do something with Semin this offseason. We may be better served holding on to him and letter whatever happens next year with him happen and then re-evaluate. This team has so many holes to fill I don't see how we enter next season thinking we are going to make the playoffs. If that proves to be the case/plan, at least as I sit today, I'm thinking we should hold on to Semin at least one more year and cross our fingers. Its not like he's going to hurt his trade value any more. Rather than locking in the dead money now, how much harm is there to giving it one more year if we are destined to suck already next year?
It might be that simple JFG and the decision might already be made. But I would understand if they choose to hold onto him one more year. You could sell me on the logic behind that (misguided as it might be). I'm not going to be militant about getting rid of Semin as being the sink or swim decision for the future. I think figuring out what the plan is with E. Staal and Cam Ward is the higher priority.
The worst thing you can do in a business is hang on to an unproductive (or worse yet, a disengaged) employee in the hopes that he or she will turn things around. I think the Canes management knows this, but I'm assuming they just can't see taking the financial hit on the HOPE that Semin can be productive once again, so they get some value out of this deal. That's unrealistic IMO. If they can make the finances work, they should just pull the trigger and focus their attention on other areas to improve this team.
I may have missed something.....and please don't take this as defending Semin as I can't when he makes over $1M per goal, BUT I am not sure he is exactly a cancer on this team. I don't see anything in his body language, on ice effort, off-ice activities that indicate he is a problem in the locker room or distraction. Sure he has a horrid contract and did not produce squat this year but that isn't any different than a handful of other guys on the team. The team is full of under achievers. If you want to wipe out that mentality then get all of them off the roster. Just removing one guy doesn't fix the problem which is why I think we are hoping for a rebuild this summer.