Signing Ales Hemsky to a one-year, $1 million contract is a shrewd bit of business by Marc Bergevin. There’s essentially no risk in the contract: if Hemsky performs far below expectations the majority of his cap hit can be buried in the AHL; if he plays up to what he’s capable of, for the price, Bergevin will have struck gold.
There’s likely more than meets the eye with the Czech winger. If his advanced stats are any indication, he could be an extremely versatile option for Claude Julien.
While at his best Hemsky was a 20-goal-scorer in the NHL, to expect that now might be a bit of a stretch.