What Is Alex Semin Worth In Fantasy Hockey?

On September 1, 2010, In Analysis, Opinion, By Neil Greenberg

As close as we could get to Alex Semin in a Fantasy!

“Is it October yet?” takes a back seat to “Is it Draft Day yet?” for us Fantasy Hockey poolies. We eagerly wait to draft Ovechkin or any other Capitals our forwards, defensemen and goaltenders and trash talk our way to victory! However, one player’s value seems to be fairly uncertain: Alexander Semin. ESPN has him ranked as the 8th best player overall for your fantasy team, while Yahoo’s Puck Daddy ranks him 33rd. We here at RMNB try to answer the most important question facing you on draft day: What is Semin worth in fantasy hockey?

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Is Mathieu Perreault A Clutch Player?

On August 27, 2010, In Analysis, Opinion, By Neil Greenberg

sp-caps

Some think Mathieu Perreault is a no-brainer to start the year at #2 center whose points-per-game (PPG) would increase in the NHL as much as it did in the AHL – despite there being significant proof to the contrary. Others think he could score 45 points, which I think is high based on what we have seen from him so far in his career.

In fact, if we look at Matty P’s AHL stats they translate to 4G/9A/13P in 21 NHL games. His actual 2009-10 stats in Washington were: 4/5/9 in 21GP. Weird, huh?

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Mike Knuble And Fine Wine: Both Better With Age?

On August 13, 2010, In Analysis, Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

Will Mike Knuble have a career year at 38?

It’s no secret that Mike Knuble is a fan favorite not only among Capital fans, but around the NHL in general. He’s a hard-working winger who lurks in front of the net, regularly crashes the crease and & capitalizes on rebounds in front of the net. This garbageman-mentality helped him score goals at a higher rate in 2009-10 (.42 per game) than in any other season in his career. And he did it all at the ripe age of 37.

But we here at RMNB are worried. Should Mike Knuble’s age cause us to temper our expectations in 2010-11?

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What Can We Expect From Mathieu Perreault?

On August 9, 2010, In Analysis, Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

mathieu-perreault-leafs

The Caps need for a center resolved itself a little when Tomas Fleischmann signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract a day before his arbitration hearing on July 27th. Couple that with George McPhee stating that he was prepared to go into the season with the team they have, and that makes it clear the Caps will look within the organization to fill their need for a much-needed pivot in the long term.

One of those options, 2009 first rounder Marcus Johansson, appears to need more time to adjust to the North American game, while 2010 first round pick Evgeny Kuznetsov needs another Russian spy swap to play out his 2-year KHL contract. That leaves “undersized, but feisty” Mathieu Perreault – who has had a lot of success at the AHL level with the defending Calder Cup Champions Hershey Bears.

Our question is: Will Matty P’s success in the AHL translate enough to sustain him at the NHL level?

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Does Everyone Need More Bradley?

On August 8, 2010, In Analysis, Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

matt-bradley

Everyone Needs More Bradley, right? Whether Matt Bradley was scoring game winning goals, working the PK against some tough competition, staying out of penalty trouble or just plain acting like a superhero, the Caps definitely needed more of it.

But do all players benefit from playing more with Brads?

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Would Willie Mitchell Be An Upgrade On The Caps Blueline?

On August 4, 2010, In Analysis, Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

willie-mitchell Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images North America

“We need a blueliner” is a typical Caps Fan’s lament this offseason (second only to DAMMIT!) and recently unrestricted free agent defenseman Willie Mitchell has been rumored to be in the Capital’s cross-hairs. Mitchell has been training and skating for 18 days and is finally symptom-free after his latest concussion – all fueling speculation that his signing is imminent.

But would Wilie Mitchell a good fit on the Capitals’ blueline?

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Flash (Back) In The Pan

On July 27, 2010, In Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

tomas-fleischmann

What started with an apology from Caps PR Mogul Nate Ewell ended with information that sent the Twittersphere into a tizzy: The Washington Capitals have signed forward Tomas Fleischmann to a one-year contract. The pact is reported to be for $2.6 million and avoids a potentially messy arbitration hearing that was set to be heard Wednesday.

The important thing to remember here is that the Capitals were going to sign Fleischmann to a one-year deal regardless. You simply do not let a developed asset like a 20-goal scorer walk away for nothing, and avoiding arbitration helps preserve goodwill on both sides. The only important detail was: for how much?

And that seems to be the rub for most: $2.6 million is too much. But is it?

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How Important is a Healthy Tom Poti Going Into Next Season?

On July 23, 2010, In Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

Really. Tom Poti is important part of the Caps Defense.

Nearly 3 months after being temporarily blinded in the right eye by a Mike Cammalleri shot, Tom Poti declared today that “Everything is going good” and he’s made a complete recovery.

Tom Poti reacts after taking a Mike Cammalleri shot to the face (Photo by John Mcdonnell/WaPo)

Tom Poti reacts after taking a Mike Cammalleri shot to the face. (Photo by John Mcdonnell/WaPo)

This should be great news for Caps fans expecially with the team’s lack of activity in the free agent market this year.

If you watched the Montreal series it’s easy to see why not pursing a “shut down” defenseman in the free agent market has suddenly become a controversial move especially when Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Tampa Bay have all gotten better.

While I have been critical of the lack of activity there are some bright spots on the Caps blueline, specifically Tom Poti, who is entering the last year of his 4 year, $14 million contract.

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Could The Kovalchuk Signing Mean The End For Semin In DC?

On July 19, 2010, In Analysis, Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

It’s finally over!

If you’ve stood by your computer constantly hitting refresh like I did, then you know I am talking about the Kovalchuk Sweepstakes, which is reportedly a 17-year deal with the New Jersey Devils. Yes, seventeen YEARS. Yeah, that is a loooooong time.

The New Mickey Mouse Club

We're going to party like it's 1993

How long, Neil?

Well, seventeen years ago Ace of Base ruled the airwaves, and The New Mickey Mouse Club got some new members: Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. So yeah, 17 years is a long time.

Time will tell if he’s worth it, but Kovalchuk has put up some serious regular season numbers in his career before his 28th birthday: 642 career points in 621 career games at the NHL level. Not bad for the the first overall pick in the 2001 NHL entry draft.

I will leave others to debate whether or not the contract is worth it or how it just laughs in the face of the current CBA, but you have to believe that at least one Russian in the DC area was intently watching these talks unfold: Alexander Semin.

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Uno Seis Still In Our Face

On July 8, 2010, In Neil Greenberg, Opinion, By Russian Machine Never Breaks

Eric Fehr is re-signed by the Caps to a two year deal.

Who needs ESPN? The signing of right wing Eric Fehr to a two-year contract, reported to be worth $2.2 million per year, was brought to us the old-fashioned way: via Twitter, from Uno Seis himself while he summers at his cabin in Winkler, Manitoba. Take that Greenwich!

We know what you’re thinking: Do a joint “Two More Years” celebratory party at Front Page on July 31st! We would, but sadly Fehr intends to spend the rest of the summer in Manitoba before returning to D.C.

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