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UFA spotlight -- Alexander Semin

Benoit Pouliot, Alexander Semin

Boston Bruins left wing Benoit Pouliot (67) defends Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin (28) during the first period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Washington. The Capitals defeated the Bruins 2-1. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

AP

All week leading up to July 1, we’ll be profiling unrestricted free agents and speculating where they might end up.

Alexander Semin (F)

Age: 28

2011-12 cap hit: $6.7 million

The skinny: Semin is one of the more interesting available free agents. He’s a former 40-goal scorer. He’s got a tremendous shot with incredible skill and can give any team’s offense a lift when he’s on. Those are the good things.

The bad? He has a penchant for bad penalties and his effort level is questionable at times.

Semin sees himself as more than an offensive player. He wants to help kill penalties -- something Japers Rink has pleaded for -- and yes, he can play a bit of defense.

So, where could he end up? Well, watching him skate with Pavel Datsyuk during the World Championships made some fans in Detroit ponder the idea of Semin joining the Red Wings. We all know GM Ken Holland has cap space to work with. Would he take a chance on a guy with considerable upside?

More UFA spotlights

Ryan Suter

Zach Parise

Jason Garrison

Jiri Hudler

Justin Schultz

Shane Doan

Alexander Semin