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Redemption time? Montreal, Semin agree to one-year deal

Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers

Alexander Semin

NHLI via Getty Images

Alexander Semin’s journey for redemption will take him through the most storied franchise in NHL history.

The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have signed Semin to a one-year deal. His contract is worth $1.1 million, per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie -- a far cry from the five-year, $35 million contract the Carolina Hurricanes bought themselves out of after just two seasons.

Inconsistency is nothing new to Semin, but he hit new lows last season with just six goals and 19 points in 57 games. On top of that, Hurricanes GM Ron Francis criticized Semin’s “compete level,” which is, justifiably or not, an issue that has been brought up with Semin before.

Semin’s agent, Mark Gandler, countered that Hurricanes coach Bill Peters “did not understand Sasha’s game.”

If you do buy into the argument that motivation has been a problem for Semin though, then there’s still reason to believe it won’t be this season. After all, the 31-year-old has plenty to prove and no long-term job security given his contract. Under similar circumstances during the lockout shortened 2013 campaign, Semin had 13 goals and 44 points in 44 games.

Either way, this is a low-risk move for Montreal and when you consider that Semin has surpassed the 30-goal and 70-point marks on three separate occasions, this has the potential to be a steal for a team that tied for the fewest goals allowed in the league last season, but finished 20th in terms of goals per game.

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