Washington Capitals forward Alexander Semin is emerging from the shadows of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and teammate Alex Ovechkin.

But Semin, who is tied with Malkin atop the National Hockey League scoring race with 16 points, isn't much of a fan of Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins teammate.

"What's so special about (Crosby)? I don't see anything special there," Semin said in an interview with Yahoo.com. "Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago ... (Kane) is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb."

Crosby, 21, has become the face of the NHL since he was drafted first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 entry draft.

The fourth-year centre scored 39 goals and 63 assists in his first season, then won the scoring title and was named the league's most valuable player in his sophomore year when he scored 36 goals and 84 assists.

This season, Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, N.S., has scored three goals and 10 assists in 11 games.

"I think that if you take any player, even if he is dead wood, and start promoting him, you'll get a star," Semin told the website. "Especially if he scores 100 points. No one is going to care about anyone else. No one is going to care whether he possesses great skill.

"Let's say you put someone in front of the net and let him deflect pucks in, and he scored 50 goals, everyone will say, 'Wow!' and then hand him a $10-million-per-year contract. That's what they like here."

Semin, 24, is in his fourth season with the Capitals.

He made his debut in 2003-04 when he scored 10 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. After two seasons playing in his native Russia, he returned to the Capitals in 2006-07 when he scored 38 goals and 35 assists in 77 games. Last season, he had 26 goals and 16 assists in 63 games.

"In Russia, people like beautiful hockey, and not dump and chase," Semin told Yahoo!. "I just don't get it, why, when a player is skating up the ice and no one is attacking him, he dumps the puck into the offensive zone and then chases it. Why would you do this if there is no one forechecking you?

"I understand that if there is someone coming at you and you don't know whether you can get past that player, then you can dump the puck, pass it or shoot. But if not, then hold on to the puck, skate forward, create a chance."