Alexander Semin: Top Five Teams to Help His NHL Career

is the most productive right winger on the Nashville Predators but Semin’s offensive help would give them a solid boost in secondary scoring . Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Nashville Predators have the most money to spend in the NHL and have only a few holes to fill. Their goaltending is solidified with Pekka Rinne and their defensive unit is spearheaded by one of the NHL’s best in Shea Weber. With over $20 million in cap space, the Preds have several options in terms of who to spend their money on.

Filip Forsberg was the major story in Nashville last season and should see first line minutes with James Neal and Mike Ribeiro. However, in terms of a second unit, the Predators could benefit from more consistent offensive production. While Semin has been far from a consistent offensive player over the last few seasons, a revitalized version could surely do some damage in Nashville. The speed of the second line alongside Mike Fisher could be a nice weapon for the Predators, especially as a compliment to the first unit.

The Predators are a very strong defensive team and have some of the better two-way forwards in the NHL. Based on Semin’s shortfalls, even at his peak, a strong defensive team will allow him to operate in the areas he prefers rather than being a two-way forward, which he is not. If Semin could squeeze into a second line role while playing heavy minutes on the powerplay, his value in Nashville will be immense.

The Predators still need to sign Colin Wilson and Craig Smith who should be receiving pay increases. Regardless of that, the Predators need to consider signing Semin for primarily an added edge down the stretch, something they lacked in 2014-15.

Next: #4: Hitting the Lone Star State With the Dallas Stars