Alexander Semin Signs One Year Extension

As Tarik El-Bashir of The Washington Post reports left wing turned right wing Alexander Semin signed a one year extension worth six million dollars.  Definitely a smart move to lock up a player the caliber of this young man.

Semin receives a slight raise from his reasonable five million dollar salary while avoiding either an arbitration hearing or offer sheet temptation.  The 25-year-old certainly put the production up to deserve a raise, arguably even into the 7 million dollar range.  In his last 91 games the native of Krasjonarsk posted 111 points, well over a PPG range.

What does this mean for Semin?

Earlier in the week there was speculation on Semin, amongst others, moving to Atlanta in a swap for Ilya Kovalchuk.  Although this deal seems incredibly far-fetched and unlikely, signing Semin to an extension would make him more attractive to a team receiving him.

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Avalanche Looking to Move a Defenseman?

With Avs rumors swirling around the internet, beat writer Adrian Dater of The Denver Post puts pretty much every current rumor involving youngsters Matt Duchene or Ryan O’Reilly to shame.

So the answer to the talented twosome leaving Colorado is no.  These rumors are false. No move will be made for Ilya Kovalchuk.  No need to swap veteran underachievers with the Flyers.  Nothing.

Dater, however, does hypothesize as to what till happen once Kyle Cumiskey returns from his foot injury.  Cumiskey, a young defenseman known for his offensive prowess very well could be the odd man out.  However, a 23-year-old d-man with limited NHL experience and a lengthy injury history provides limited value in the current trade market.

That leaves two players likely on the block: Jean-Michael Liles and Ryan Wilson.  The latter an undrafted free agent who at the ripe age of 22 actually is producing at the NHL level.

Turning a free-agent signing into a need would be excellent asset management as long as the team feels the current player they see is his ceiling. His reasonable capt hit of $ 551, 667 through 2011 certainly adds remarkable value should he be shopped.

NHLHS Endorsed Pickups

Any player written about is under 50 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues.

Here are today’s picks:

RW: Chris Stewart, Colorado Avalanche – Over the past week we have discussed Stewart at length.  A player this young usually would be on our Keeper Watch, but his stats over the last week are simply too good to not play in all formats.  Playing regularly on their top PP and with Paul Stastny will keep him this hot or at least relevant.

Prognosis: I’ve said enough, get this guy on your team.

C: Stephen Weiss, Florida Panthers – An NHLHS star of the week, Weiss has been incredibly hot over the last few weeks.  In the previous seasons we have seen spurts of production similar to this so it is not a surprise.  Also in previous seasons we have seen his production drop off the map completely.  Still with a healthy Nathan Horton and David Booth expected back around Christmas things look good for the 26-year-old.

Prognosis: If you need a depth center, stream Weiss until he fizzles.

Daily Fantasy 3 Stars 11/30/2009

In this section, I break down the top three fantasy hockey performers every night and cite why I chose them in particular. In addition, I will track the amount of times the players have received this honor and tally them at the end of the season. For the sake of clarity, I will be using Yahoo! standard categories (Forwards – G,A,+/-, PP, PIM, SOG; Goalies – W, GAA, SV%, SHO)

THIRD STAR: Eric Fehr, Washington Capitals (0-0-1) – Semin out, Ovechkin out? No problem, says Fehr.  The 24-year-old now has six points in his last four games.  Last night he added a goal and an assist as his Capitals defeated the Hurricanes 3-2.  The right wing put two shots on net, posted four penalty minutes and finished the evening a plus one making him a solid contributor across five offensive categories.  He should be on your radar now, keep him there, this kid has legitimate power forward potential and could be a huge post-hype sleeper.

SECOND STAR: Curtis Glencross, Calgary Flames (0-1-0) – After being held scoreless in his last two games, the 26-year-old broke out in a big way.  The left wing scored a goal and assisted in two more as the Flames routed the Predators 5-0.  In addition, his goal came shorthanded and one of his assists came on the powerplay making him a special teams force. The former Oiler added three shots on goal and a plus one to his line giving him solid contributions across five categories. Glencross now has 13 points in 23 games, putting him in line to post career highs for the second year in a row.