It was 10 years ago yesterday that the Montreal Canadiens decided to roll the dice on a 10-season NHL veteran: Alexander Semin. The once highly productive Russian winger became a UFA after the Carolina Hurricanes bought out his contract. They had signed him to a five-year deal worth $35 M with a $7 M AAV in 2013, but after registering just 64 points in three seasons, they decided to move on.
Along came Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens, who decided to roll the dice on the Russian with a one-year, $1M contract. The experiment was short-lived, though, after just 15 games in which he had picked up four points, Montreal put him on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract.
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Ten years later, another Russian veteran is looking for a chance at redemption: Evgeny Kuznetsov. The center and SKA St. Petersburg reportedly mutually agreed to terminate the contract he had signed last season, but there’s been very little information about the causes behind that decision.
While it wouldn’t be fair to speculate, the failed Semin experiment and the similarities between the two stories might be part of the reason why Alexander Ovechkin’s former sidekick seems unable to sign with an NHL team this Summer.
While the Canadiens did explore the idea of making an offer to Kuznetsov, they eventually changed their mind, determining there wouldn’t be any room for him in their roster. While one could have thought his previous experience playing with Ivan Demidov could have given him an in, it’s clear that the Habs intend to have the youngster in their top-six, and that’s not where you want to have an aging vet attempting a comeback, at least not when you have better or safer options.
Photo credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images
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