Alexander Semin to Canadiens: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

One of the most-skilled forwards available in free agency finally found a home Friday as Alexander Semin inked a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens.

The move was made official by the Habs' Twitter account, and Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports later reported that Semin will make $1.1 million in 2015-16.

Following the announcement of the signing, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin explained the decision to bring in the talented but enigmatic winger, according to the team's website:

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We are very pleased to have reached a short term agreement with Alexander Semin. Alex is a pure goal scorer with a good shot. We believe his addition to our group of forwards will strengthen our offensive production and our power play. A veteran winger with size, Semin has reached the 20-goal plateau seven times since the beginning of his NHL career 12 years ago. His signing represents a great opportunity for the organization and for Alex's career.

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Semin said about his new team, per the team: "I like Montreal. I like this town. I like the fans here. There are good people on this team. It's a good organization. I want to try [and start again]. Last season, I had a bad year. I didn't play well. I want to get back to how I can play. I never considered going to the KHL. I'm still young. I want to play here. My family likes living [in North America]."

Based largely on the affordable price, Sean McIndoe of Grantland praised Montreal's decision to roll the dice on the former superstar:

Per James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, the acquisition of Semin addresses a significant need within Montreal's lineup:

The 31-year-old Russian was once considered to be among the NHL's top offensive players during his time with the Washington Capitals. He scored 34 or more goals and tallied 73 or more points in three out of four seasons from 2006 through 2010.

His production began to fall off near the end of his tenure with the Caps, and he never returned to his previous elite level of play after signing with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012.

He was especially bad last year as he set career lows with six goals and 19 points in 57 games. That led to the Canes buying out his contract, which general manager Ron Francis attributed to a lack of effort on the player's part, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer:

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He certainly has had some injuries, but last season he did not have the compete level we expect. We talk about holding our players accountable, and there were some things we felt he did not hold up to, so we made this decision.

When we talk about accountability and a consistently high compete level, we have to follow through, or they make no sense. He did not have that high compete level, for whatever reason.

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The former first-round pick had a cap number of $7 million per season in Carolina, which makes his $1.1 million deal with the Habs look like a bargain, per NHLNumbers.com.

If Semin plays like he did last year, he won't be worth any amount of money Montreal pays him. Provided he is able to return to his 20-goal form and work well with the likes of Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk and others, though, he could turn out to be one of the offseason's biggest steals.

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