Rotoworld has a couple of contract signings listed for the Hurricanes:

Love to see CAR land Semin on a reasonable deal...

Jokinen - Staal - Semin
Ruutu - Staal - Skinner

That's a pretty nice top 6.

Thanks very much to Bondon for getting those signing up and so quick.

Just wanted to clarify- Dobber stated that Harrison had regressed down to about 16 minutes of icetime per game from 21 but if you read down the comments further Pengwin seems to have found a glitch in the math. He actually played closer to 20 minutes- which is a decline but of such slight variance that Id say its barely noteworthy. Thanks Pengwin!

Ive followed Boychuk a bit since his days in junior and always had high hopes for him. Hes got a unique skillset- almost looks like a contortionist when he gets in front of the net sometimes. Anyways that contract might indeed be the kiss of death for a once promising prospect. I think hes in tough for time in the top six because as Dyz points out- its actually looking pretty solid this year. Even after Ruutu inevitably goes down with injury you still have Tlusty, Bowman, and Dalpe to compete with. Make or break time.

Might do another player spotlight or two in the next few weeks- anyone stand out on this list- Pitkanen, Ruutu, Tlusty?

__________________
Thunder Bay Fighting Emu
12 team HTH CBS league
C(3)- Malkin, Carter, Little, Huberdeau, Galchenyuk
W(6)- Perry, Nash, Yakupov, Voracek, Wheeler,Cammalleri, Okposo, Hemsky
D(4)- Green, Weber, Hedman, Vishnovsky
G(1)- Lundquist, Rask
Goal/sog heavy- daily changes- slight bonus for pims- No +/-
Keep 12.

No problem man, just trying to pitch in where I can

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Jiri Tlusty out of that list..just because I feel that Pitkanen and Ruutu are pretty transparent with regards to production (decent when not hurt). But for Tlusty, a former 13th overall pick, posted a fantastic season with the Marlies but could never really get it going...suddenly broke out this year on Eric Staal's wing for some decent production.

Oh and one aside would be some insight (if possible, I know this might be tough to find) on why Tuomo Ruutu's hits were so drastically reduced last season. Even two years ago, he had 156 hits but that pro-rated to about 236 over a full 82 which is still fantastic in multi-cat leagues. This year he dropped to a pro-rated 171 after posting 309 in 2010/2011.

Keep up the great work Emu!

I was having this exact conversation the other day and was told that the statistician in Carolina changed during that time. I have no link to prove this but it seems plausible.

Statistician could be a reason (if true) or it could simply be his injuries have left him a bit less willing to throw the body around.

Interesting, yeah both of these seem like very possible explanations. I guess if we could get confirmation on which one of them it is that would be fantastic (though very difficult I'm sure)...because if it was the statistician then it's all but guaranteed that the numbers will still be lower...whereas if it was the body he could get back up there if his body is feeling strong.

Holy crap- Semin signs!

Broken by Dyz in the Semin thread:
Carolina Hurricanes ‏@NHLCanes
BREAKING: Canes agree to terms with Alexander Semin on a one-year, $7 million contract: http://carhur.com/ddv

Love it! Running out of the house for a bit- speculation when I get back. Love to hear some thoughts!

__________________
Thunder Bay Fighting Emu
12 team HTH CBS league
C(3)- Malkin, Carter, Little, Huberdeau, Galchenyuk
W(6)- Perry, Nash, Yakupov, Voracek, Wheeler,Cammalleri, Okposo, Hemsky
D(4)- Green, Weber, Hedman, Vishnovsky
G(1)- Lundquist, Rask
Goal/sog heavy- daily changes- slight bonus for pims- No +/-
Keep 12.

If CAR could add another reliable d-man and a bit more depth in the bottom 6, they could be a force.

So I just have a few musings on the Semin situation and I managed to pose them without any use of the dreaded "E" word:

Semin is a great fit for Carolina.

Adding another dangerous offensive weapon is a great move for Carolina. They now have a legitimate top that can stand against most others in the league and more importantly- stacks up nicely in their own division. Between the Staal trade and this signing Carolina is looking like a different team especially as far as poolies are concerned.

So the question becomes this: Is Carolina a good fit for Semin?

First off Im glad he signed for a year. Speculation was that he was holding out for a longer term deal- which likely wasnt coming. Wed be missing out on an exciting and underrated player. A one year signing means he has made a conscious decision to stick it out in the NHL rather than defecting and he will be very motivated to play for a longer term deal and big money next year. A healthy and motivated Alexander Semin has the ability to shock a lot of casual fans in terms of what hes capable of. I also like to think the negative press and rumor mongering about his lack of character during this process will mean hes got something to prove. Im guessing we will see a more fired up Semin than we have seen in quite some time and when a player with that much skill is "dialed in" I tend to think they can thrive in just about any situation.

There are other question marks.

The point has been made that their will not be any kind of Russian welcoming committee in the Carolina system. That can make it difficult for any soviet player to adjust and find his niche in the dressing room. In Semin you also have a guy who was noted to be generally quiet to begin with- even stand-offish. It could be a stumbling block. That being said- the optimist in me likes to think maybe thats exactly what Semin needs. In Washington there was always a very strong Russian presence in the dressing room. Indeed if you had a tendency to shy away from the spotlight or adversity in the dressing room than it probably wouldn't be too hard to find a nice comfortable spot somewhere behind Alexander Ovechkins ego, where you can blend into the background and quietly go about your business. In an ideal world Semin comes out of his shell a bit in Carolina and starts to take more ownership of his own game, his play, and his role on the team. It has been discussed at length that many of the issues with Semin surround his personality. Moving away from the team that drafted you and the good friend who just happens to be one of the leagues biggest megastars- might just be a catalyst for Semins personal development. Playing without a safety net could be just what the doctor ordered. (Hey- it worked for Bruce Wayne when he was making the climb out of "the pit"!).

The other question about fit we have to ask is wether or not he will have chemistery with the teams existing stars. I think many of us would like to pencil in a line of Staal, Staal, Semin- crank up our projections for each of them and call it a day. Im not sure thats going to be the case though. Management has already stated he will get a look there but Kirk Muller has some very exciting options for the first time in awhile so I wouldnt be surpised to see a little bit of line juggling while he establishes chemistery.

Will he fit with Eric Staal? To be honest Im not so sure- not on paper anyways. Some star players can slot in anyplace you put them, others tend to thrive with a pretty specific set of variables. Eric is a funny guy that way- his best years were playing with Eric Cole. They are both big guys who can absolutely fly- they were dangerous and imposing coming off the rush and its a style of offensive play Staal has dogmatically adhered too. That just isnt Semins game. While skating isnt exactly a weak point for the talented Russian he also not known for his blazing up and down speed. He is a cerebral player who thrives playing a posession game. As I stated above Im sure that will not prevent them form getting a long look together but in the end it may not be a good fit chemistery wise. Stranger things have happened but to be honest I think Skinner might be a bettrer fit on that topline if hes healthy- complimenting the speed and north/south style of the Staals.

All is not lost for Semin owners however. First off, he will be spoon fed as much PP1 time as he can handle and there is virtually no chance- barring disaster- that he will be missing out on those key offensive minutes. He is one of (if not THE) leagues best shooters- and when he gets enough time and space to find the spot he wants- he is an absolute nightmare for opposing goalies. Secondly- he has shown he can thrive in a supplemental offensive role. In Washington he played well with OV and Backstrom but also excelled playing on the second line- under the radar and a step away from the oppositions top shutdown component. Thirdly- I just think there is potential for some fantastic chemistery between Jokinen and Semin. Jussi can play a similar cerebral/finesse type of game and his defensive instincts might offset the odd turnover that are part and parcel with Semins game. Theoretically Ruutu crashing around making space for these guys could be the perfect storm.

To be honest its hard to say how the lines will shake down but at this point Im optimisitic that there is a fit here somewhere. There is so much versatility in the top six that Carolina should have the tools to put Semin in a spot where he will succeed. If Im a Semin owner, Im confident he will get a chance to match his career bests here.

- Since his sophomore year hees a career .86 ppg player- 70 points pro rated.

- In that time injuries have been a concern averaging 69.5 gp in that same period.

- Hes already had two career high seasons at 1.27ppg and 1.15ppg good for 104 and 94 pro-rated respectively.

Im not a stats geek but to me that sais we're looking at about 70 games with 60 points (.86ppg) as a ground floor, and attainable upside at 88 points (1.27) with a pretty nice goal ratio in each case. If he can stay healthy all bets are off.

At 28 he's in his prime, motivated to play for a big contract, going to a versatile lineup with some great complimentary players and finds himself in a situation where he will have a variety of different ways to succeed. My prediction?

Homerun.

__________________
Thunder Bay Fighting Emu
12 team HTH CBS league
C(3)- Malkin, Carter, Little, Huberdeau, Galchenyuk
W(6)- Perry, Nash, Yakupov, Voracek, Wheeler,Cammalleri, Okposo, Hemsky
D(4)- Green, Weber, Hedman, Vishnovsky
G(1)- Lundquist, Rask
Goal/sog heavy- daily changes- slight bonus for pims- No +/-
Keep 12.