Alexander Semin: Top Five Teams to Help His NHL Career

The Dallas Stars are on their way up and some veteran secondary scoring is a step in the right direction.  Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars have made all the right moves to beef up their team in both the short and long-run. Bringing in Jason Spezza gives them incredible depth down the middle with Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin, and adding Antti Niemi to the goaltending mix only solidifies their back-end. The most recent deal that brought Patrick Sharp to Dallas gives them even more depth on the left wing.

The Stars are approaching the level of top contender but in terms of a top-six unit, they are still lacking on the  right wing. Ales Hemsky is extremely injury prone and Valeri Nichushkin is still trying to develop a consistent NHL game. The Stars are on the cusp of becoming a top team in the NHL and improving their depth on the right side is imperative to their success. Hemsky could be very successful playing third line minutes and both Semin and Nichushkin can man the top two lines.  With Semin added to the powerplay, the Stars would have two very deadly units on the man advantage and should be able to find the right combination as the season progresses.

Adding Semin to the right wing will not only help the Stars produce more offense, but take away some of the pressure on players like Benn and Seguin. If Nichushkin or Hemsky find themselves on the first line, Semin could produce quite well with the second unit alongside Spezza, or worst case, be one of the best scoring wingers playing the third line. He seems willing to accept a lower offer this time around and the Stars should take full advantage of that.

After the Sharp deal, the Stars still have a little over $5 million to spend. If Semin wants to succeed with a rising contender and is willing to take a pay cut, Dallas could be the perfect fit, making them one of the teams to watch in 2015-16.

Next: #3: Breaking Bread with the New Jersey Devils