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2010 NHL Free Agency: What about ... Maxim Afinogenov?

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At this point in free agency, the focus shifts from the gems to flawed guys who can still bring some skill to the table. So, going forward, we’ll spotlight individual players who are flying under the radar.

Previous Entries: Slava Kozlov, Alex Frolov, Willie Mitchell, Lee Stempniak

Today’s entry: Maxim Afinogenov

Name: Maxim Afinogenov
Height: 6-0 Weight: 190
Position: RW
Strengths:
Speed, goal scoring
Weaknesses: Consistency, play without the puck, attitude, defensive indifference

It seems like we were here last year with Maxim Afinogenov, weren’t we? Well, sort of.

Let’s start with the similarities between July 2010 Afinogenov and the ’09 model. They’re both really fast. Each one featured a paltry plus/minus rating to go with a notable indifference to defensive play. Each version didn’t get a whiff of the playoffs. Finally, it looks like his previous club gives him little more than a shoulder shrug when he asks to return.

That being said, it’s the differences that make his dormant status a bit surprising. For all of his faults, Afinogenov had a bounce back year in the simplest numbers. Yes, his -17 rating is even worse than the -7 mark from his abysmal 08-09 campaign (and some would say that he would have had a lower rating that season if he was actually on the ice more often). You can’t teach this old dog the new trick of caring about play in his own zone.

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Still, offensively, he rebounded pretty well. In fact, he scored a career-high 24 goals and his 61-point output tied the second best mark of his career (although he only played in 56 games during that 06-07 campaign). After sulking through a horrendous 2008-09 season (20 points in 48 games, a career-low 12:36 time on ice average), he seemed to be his normal self last year.

It’s unclear if the problem is a lack of suitors or - stop if you’ve read this one before - an inability for the player to realize how limited the market really is. Dmitry Chesnokov reported that Afinogenov was interested in staying in Atlanta but the former Buffalo Sabres winger said that the Thrashers offers were “not satisfactory.” Well, there you go.

Perhaps Afinogenov should latch on to a contender looking for some offensive punch and speed. He’d be an interesting (yet, chances are disastrous) fit in Washington since he’s Russian, occasionally explosive and would push the hellacious pace coach Bruce Boudreau craves. Unfortunately, he’s also the exact type of player who prompts hockey people to roll their eyes when the Capitals find themselves on the receiving end of a “shocking” playoff letdown. (It also seems that general manager George McPhee actually tends to add solid, “blue collar” players to fill out depth positions so the Afinogenov to DC angle probably doesn’t have much potency.)

Really, though, you could play out that pro and con exercise with many other teams and come up with an Afinogenov-like negative plus/minus. I guess that’s why he’s collecting metaphorical hockey player unemployment right now.