Semin Part of a Major Deal?

A short and sweet post from Eklund suggests that the Capitals may be looking to a major trade, likely to move Alexander Semin and a "star goaltender most think is untouchable."

Anybody at all surprised that Semin could very well be on the block?  There is no question that the kid is talented, but he hasn't been terribly clutch for the Capitals, especially in the playoffs.  That $6 million cap hit this season does weigh his value down as a bargain, but maybe the kid just needs to go to a city where he can play top fiddle for a while.

As for the goalie who most people would think is untouchable would likely have to be Semyon Varlamov, who has been able to take most of the reps for the Capitals in the playoffs, but even then isn't quite as solid.  The Capitals may even be higher on Michal Neuvirth than we have been thinking.  That's awfully interesting, don't you think?  Heck, maybe it's Neuvirth that we think is untouchable in the organization and another team wants to give him the starting job somewhere.  Very tempting, either way.

If I was to offer two guesses, one West and one East... I would have to say it would be the Edmonton Oilers who swing this deal, with Nikolai Khabibulin going the other way... or it's the Atlanta Thrashers, who would take both Semin and Varlamov for some division jockeying, likely giving up one of their 1st rounders with a couple of youths.

The Oilers make some sense, because they want to have a superstar sniper, maybe even to go with Tyler Seguin, who could be their number one overall pick.  Certainly, a pie in the sky sort of dreaming, but definitely feasible with how they are structured against the cap and also not having to worry about Khabibulin anymore.

The Thrashers, on the other hand, really seem to like Russians nowadays and picking up a couple more could somehow put some more butts in the seats in Atlanta with some flash and dash in their line-up.  It would give Max Afinogenov a little more help on their offense and maybe give Slava Kozlov someone to mentor in Atlanta, possibly some more ice-time.

When you have vague statements like this Eklund post, the imagination can run wild, couldn't it?