Canadiens GM giving Semin 'a chance to prove that he is a player that he once was'

Marc Bergevin believes there's plenty left in Alex Semin's tank.

The Montreal Canadiens general manager, who signed the Russian forward to a one-year, $1.1-million contract this offseason, is banking on a return to form and, by extension, more than the six goals Semin scored in his final season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

"He’s high skilled ... he brings something that not a lot of players do have, Bergevin said Wednesday. "Obviously, things didn't go his way in Carolina. He’s going to have a chance to prove that he is a player that he once was and he’s still young at 31 years of age. So we hope he’ll bring his skill and his compete level to Montreal."

For Bergevin, this involves a commitment at both ends of the ice.

"If you don’t score - (and) it’s hard to score in today’s game - you have to bring something else to the table," said Bergevin. "So it’s either backchecking or stripping pucks or playing solid hockey ... that’s what I expect from you if you don’t score."

Semin was bought out by the Hurricanes after two years of a five-year, $35-million deal wherein he recorded 28 goals and 61 points in 122 games.

Still, he remains a career 0.8 point per game player, and that level of production would make him an absolute steal for Bergevin and the Canadiens next season.