Semin: “I still need to improve my physical condition”

Alex Semin has been in Russia for the last two months, but feels his conditioning isn’t up to snuff.

“Without a doubt, I still need to improve my physical condition,” Semin said, despite scoring two goals and seven points in eight games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. “I could have scored more points. A lot of chances have come up, but I don’t always have enough composure yet.”

Semin jumped to Russia soon after the NHL lockout began on Sept. 15. He first joined his hometown club, Sokol, which plays in the Russian second division (VHL).

After a short stint in Sokol, Semin was on the move again — he signed with Torpedo in mid-October and joined a club boasting a number of current and former NHLers: Anton Volchenkov, Denis Arkhipov, Robert Nilsson, Dmitry Bykov and Peter Schastlivy.

Semin missed a handful of games at the beginning of his Torpedo tenure with the flu.

The 28-year-old sniper signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the ‘Canes in late July and was expected to shine in the team’s new-look top six froward group — projected to be Semin, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Tuomo Ruutu, Jeff Skinner and Jussi Jokinen.