To no one's surprise, Alexander Semin was waived yesterday. While this seemed inevitable since he was signed in August, his waiving may have been due to reasons more than his own performance.
When Semin was signed, the Montreal Canadiens did so with the knowledge that there were many capable young players waiting in the wings. The prudent decision was to sign an NHL veteran in case those players were not ready for the NHL. If they earned a spot, Semin could easily be waived with a minimal penalty against the cap.
Semin was injured in the same game that saw Brendan Gallagher break two fingers, versus the New York Islanders, on November 22.