Hurricanes waive Alexander Semin, plan to buy him out
After Alex Semin sat in the Carolina Hurricanes’ press box in mid-January as a healthy scratch, his general manager still had faith. “We think we can do it. We’re not giving up on him at all,” said Ron Francis at the time.
Well, the time has come and the Canes have seen enough. On Tuesday, the club announced they were placing Semin on unconditional waivers with the intent of buying out the remaining three years of his contract.
In 2013, Semin signed a five-year, $35 million deal in the middle of a 13-goal, 44-point lockout-shortened campaign in his first year in Carolina. The extension was signed while the Russian forward was on a one-year, $7 million contract. Both deals were handed to him by former GM Jim Rutherford, who’s now with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
According to War on Ice, Carolina will owe Semin nearly $14 million over the next six years and carry a $2.33 million cap hit through the 2020-21 NHL season should he clear waivers. The NHL’s deadline to buy out players is Tuesday.
Semin had an OK season in 2013-14, scoring 22 times and recording 42 points in 65 games, but at that price tag the Canes wanted more. The 2014-15 season was a disaster, featuring numerous healthy scratches and 6 goals and 19 points in 57 games, along with the franchise running out of patience with him.
“Some nights you didn’t even know if he was gonna come to the rink,” said former Washington Capitals teammate Troy Brouwer in a 2013 radio interview. “It’s tough to play alongside guys like those because you don’t know what you’re gonna get out of ’em.”
I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of the 31-year old Semin in the NHL. A string of one-year deals with not a ton of money seem like the perfect way for him to continue his career in the league. He’s shown he can score a ton of goals in the right situation. Which GM feels his team can turn the forward’s career around?
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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