You don't spend $7 million on a player without doing some research. For Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, the research of Alexander Semin got serious at the NHL draft in Pittsburgh.
Rutherford had an extended conversation with former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau about Semin and continued to have similar discussions about the talented but sometimes underperforming winger with scouts, former teammates and coaches.
"We did a lot of work on this," Rutherford said. "We talked to as many people as we could who have crossed paths with Alex. We had more on the positive side than on the negative."
While Rutherford and guys such as Rod Brind'Amour were working their hockey contacts for information on Semin, assistant general manager Jason Karmanos worked the numbers. Semin has a reputation of disappearing during high-pressure situations and hasn't always been productive during the playoffs. But the advanced stats suggested otherwise.
"What the people out there who are not fans of Alex are saying are not confirmed by the analytics," Rutherford said. "Actually, it's absolutely the opposite."
To see how the Canes checked out Semin in detail and see why they may be favored to win the Southeast, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
And fire off a few probing questions for his weekly mailbag while you're at it.
