Alexander Semin has been a Washington Capital for life, but he signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the division rival Carolina Hurricanes this offseason. Some have questioned why the Hurricanes would sign him to such a contract since his stats have been somewhat inconsistent throughout his career and he has been known as a clubhouse liability. He put up a career-high in points in 2009-2010 with 84, but his numbers took a steep 30-point drop-off in 2010-2011 and he stayed at 54 points in 2011-2012 as well. These were also the two years that Alexander Ovechkin’s play dropped off. Could there be a connection?

Some could say that a change in scenery could get things back on track, but Semin is clearly not worth $7 million a year no matter what, and could face an even steeper drop in points without Ovechkin by his side.

Nevertheless, the Hurricanes enjoyed quite an offseason, not only signing Semin but also trading for Penguins’ star Jordan Staal, who is the brother of Hurricane captain Eric Staal. Carolina could also have a healthy Jeff Skinner, the 2011 Calder Trophy winner for Rookie of the Year who was hurt for a lengthy amount of time last season.

Semin has a good cast around him in Carolina, but there is one thing that could cause this revamped group of players some trouble: the lockout.

Carolina’s two big signings put them on the map as a playoff contender, but the lockout has eliminated training camp and the preseason. This could cause some problems, as the new-look roster will not have any time to mesh together before a labor deal is reached (if one is, in the first place).

Because of these facts, Semin would be a questionable pick for your fantasy hockey team. Who knows, he could have a new beginning in Carolina, but given his history, lack of Ovechkin, and lack of time to practice with his new team, the risk is greater than the reward would likely be as of now.