When no other team offered a lucrative, multi-year contract for a skilled offensive player coming off a down season, the Carolina Hurricanes provided a soft landing spot. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinastore.us.com/ . Numbers Game analyzes the Hurricanes signing of Alexander Semin. The Hurricanes Get: LW Alexander Semin. Semin, 28, is an extremely talented player who has frustrated coaches and fans alike for not performing up to his capability. Hes coming off back-to-back 54-point seasons which, in a year with a shallow free agent pool, should have been enough to command greater interest on the open market. But theres no reason to think that Semin turned down many suitors offering multi-year, big money deals in order to sign a one-year deal with Carolina. As with all players there are postives and negatives and, in Semins case, the negatives seem to get a lot of play. Lets start with the good. Over the last six seasons, Semin has scored 187 goals, good enough for 15th in the league, yet his 133 even-strength goals in that time ranks fifth (between Rick Nash and Dany Heatley). Over the last four seasons, Semin is plus-92, which ranks fifth in the league and highest among all forwards not playing for the Vancouver Canucks (Zdeno Chara, the Sedins and Alex Burrows are higher). However, those credentials, and the elite-level skill that Semin possesses, tend to get overlooked because of a negative perception regarding his commitment and general demeanour. This isnt to suggest that those arent real concerns but there is value to be found in a skilled player whose attitude isnt the best. Vague notions of attitude and commitment arent the only concerns with Semin. Semins 21 goals last season represented his fewest since his rookie season in 2003-2004 and the 16:47 per game of ice time that he played was also his lowest since his rookie season. There are some reasons beyond lack of ice time for mediocre production, however. Sure, at times Semin skated with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the Capitals top line, but his most common linemates at even-strength during the season were Jason Chimera and Mathieu Perreault (per www.leftwinglock.com). Both players have some skills, but both hit career highs last season with 39 and 30 points, respectively, so it wasnt likely that they were going to raise Semins offensive output. In Carolina, Semin should be put in a situation in which he can maximize his scoring opportunities, whether thats on the top line with the Staals or even with Jeff Skinner on the second line. Perhaps a greater reason for concern with Semins game is that he didnt generate the same kind of shots on goal numbers that had been a traditional strength for him. Last year, he registered 2.38 shots on goal per game. In the previous five seasons, he averaged 3.31 per game, dipping ever so slightly under 3.00 shots per game once (2.94 in 2007-2008) in those five years. Its pretty simple: when the shot totals drop off, its much harder to maintain the same goal-scoring pace. Semin has been ripped for his postseason production in recent years as well. He has scored 12 points in 30 games over the last three years, with zero goals on 44 shots in a seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens in 2009-2010 providing ammunition for critics. Could he use a strong playoff performance to shake that reputation? Of course, but its not like hes never produced in the postseason -- he scored 22 points in his first 21 playoff games. Washington didnt seem to want Semin back, which is fair enough. Many teams walk away from players after their worst season, but they will need more scoring from the supporting cast to make up for the loss of Semin. Marcus Johansson may be the prime candidate to take on a bigger offensive role in Semins absence. Declining numbers and a reputation that isnt the best allowed the Hurricanes to swoop in and sign Semin to a one-year, $7-million contract, the kind of low-risk investment that, even if Semin falls flat on his face, cant possibly be a long-term problem for the franchise. If the one-year deal dangles a carrot in front of Semin to produce so much that he earns a long-term free agent deal next year, all the better. In the meantime, the Hurricanes should be applauded for finding value with a high-upside free agent signing. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. www.cheapnfljerseyschinastore.us.com . -- Dwight Howard vs. cheapnfljerseyschinastore.us.com . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards.LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. De la Puente played for New Orleans for the past three seasons, starting 44 of 48 games. cheapnfljerseyschinastore. He also made four post-season starts with the Saints. The 6-foot-3, 306-pound de la Puente played his college ball at California. The Bears announced the deal on Sunday. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '