There have been no contract discussions between the Capitals and Alexander Semin, agent Mark Gandler tells CSNWashington.com.
Moreover, Gandler doesn’t expect any talks to occur before Sunday, or for the Caps to trade Semin’s rights.
“There’s still time [to trade Semin’s rights] if that’s what they want to do,” said Gandler. “But with every day there’s less and less opportunity. ... There are no backdoor conversations.”
Semin is arguably the biggest wildcard of free agency. The 28-year-old is a three-time 30-goal scorer, including one 40-goal season in 2009-10. But like teammate Alex Ovechkin, his production fell off significantly when the Caps altered their style from run-and-gun to a more conservative approach.
In the right circumstances, it’s not unthinkable that Semin could score 40 again. Where to find those circumstances -- and at what price? -- is the challenge.
Related: UFA spotlight — Alexander Semin