That is pretty much par for the course for many around here concerning many higher end players. I definitely felt that was the case with Semin and yes Gonchar and Murphy got the same treatment in the more distant past.
Yeah it is. I'm guilty of it too or at least have been in the past. I guess its human nature to always want "moar"
I think thats why there are coaches like Bill Parcels, Nick Saban etc who become mercenaries.
Thats why Spiderman, despite all his heroics, gets painted as a menace.
We learn to love certain qualities at first but over time our expectations outgrow reality and we turn on those very same heros we used to love.
Semin is gone because he's not worth $7 million a year. Green's not worth $6. Let's hope there's a similar outcome.
This is what I mean. You feel the cap space alone makes us a better team. I don't agree with this.
I was never a Semin basher. I wish we'd found a way to keep him....but as BCF says, not at 7mil a year. I don't see him being worth that. 5m for sure. 7m, no thanks. Too much money for his mercurial play.
Green is the same thing. Too much money for mercurial play. I base that mercurial play in his head, not his game. He is simply not consistent, and that is a mental thing. Yes, he was hurt a lot...so perhaps that's part of it. But his great stretch last year would possibly say otherwise, wouldn't it?
I watch his interviews, I read his comments, and he seems dim. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. So.....I am very open to improving the teams #1 defender...but I have never said that has to be by trading Green. If you look at my posts, I have long hammered that the Caps spend too much money on their forwards. If we could flip that and get another 6mil d-man that is worth that, and is a true #1 guy, then Green as a #2 is fine (maybe even great?) in that instance.
My beef with Green is more a beef with the structure of the team in the financial sense, which forces him into a role I feel he is not suited. So if we need to trade him to get that true #1, then so be it. But that wouldn't be my first course of action to correct the problems on defense.
Do you follow me?
Yes Semin is not worth the contract he got in Carolina. I don't like the term at all.
But there is a difference. Semin seemed to rub some people the wrong way. Clearly guys like Brouwer, Steckel, Bradley and others have already publically aired dirty laundry. He was never a big fan of local media either. I think that really hurt him.
Also Semin is a good player but he isn't as rare as a player like Green at their respective positions. Not many dmen can do the things he can.
But here is the BIG thing ...Green is still getting better. Dmen take a great deal of time to reach their peak (Murphy, Gonchar, Stevens all got better around 30)
Semin on the other hand..well scorers like him peak in their mid 20s and its downhill from there.
We aren't in a desperate cap situation and next year we will be fine.
I just get the sense some people would rather just waive him and use the cap space to bring in "other guys" . The grass is greener mentaliy.