Has NHL seen the last of Semin? Alexander Semin flaming out of the NHL had little to do with the fact he could no longer keep up with the fast-paced game, but everything to do with his coaches. That’s the spin from his new club, Magnitogorsk Metallurg of Russia’s KHL, writes TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli.

Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow|Archive

Alexander Semin flaming out of the NHL had little to do with the fact he could no longer keep up with the fast-paced game, but everything to do with his coaches.

That’s the spin from his new club, Magnitogorsk Metallurg, of Russia’s KHL.

Semin officially severed ties with Montreal on Thursday, agreeing to terms on a deal to play out the remainder of this season for Magnitogorsk after the Canadiens "mutually agreed" to terminate his contract, a move confirmed by agent Todd Diamond.

In an interview with Sport-Express.ru, Magnitogorsk vice-president of hockey operations Gennady Velichkin opined NHL coaches treated Canadians and Americans differently than Russians.

“Only God himself can judge them,” Velichkin said, as translated. “‘Sasha’ will come, will begin to work, and we’ll see who is right and wrong.”

Magnitogorsk started the season with Mike Keenan as head coach. ‘Iron’ Mike was fired in mid-October. Now, Semin will try to resurrect his career under co-head coaches Ilya Vorobyov and Mike Pelino. Semin’s close friend and former Capitals teammate, Viktor Kozlov, is Metallurg’s assistant coach.

Velichkin said Magnitogorsk had been in constant communication with Semin over the last month, waiting in the wings in case his experiment in Montreal fell apart.

Semin, 31, appeared in just 15 games for the Canadiens, registering one goal and three assists. The one-time 40-goal scorer signed for a bargain price of $1.1 million in July after his $35 million deal in Carolina was bought out.

All of which raises the question: Have we seen the last of Semin in the NHL?

Thursday marked the second time this week Semin was passed over by all 29 other teams on the waiver wire.

His agent politely deferred comment on Thursday, but the fact Semin did not lock into a longer term deal in Russia is an indication he may again test the NHL waters next summer. He will at least have that option. Interest will be hard to come by, but dependent on how he finishes out the season.

Semin is 30th among active players in points-per-game average (0.80). His offensive output is better than Phil Kessel (0.77) and Joe Pavelski (0.76) in roughly the same number of career games. Semin is also higher on that list than Jeff Carter (0.73), who has played about a season more though they are the same age.

His points-per-game average includes an awful season last year in Carolina, when Semin registered just 19 points in 57 games and was a frequent healthy scratch. It speaks to how impressive his first handful of years truly were.

After a productive, seven-year run in Washington, the Capitals let Semin walk in 2012 as a free agent. He left as the fifth all-time leading goal scorer in Caps history. He signed a one-year trial run in Carolina and then cashed in on a five-year deal worth $7 million per season when he finished with 44 points in 44 games during the lockout-shortened season.

Semin’s skill is unquestioned. His heart and his work ethic have always been subject to debate. The Canadiens found their answer rather quickly, with coach Michel Therrien benching Semin just 10 games into the season.

“He brings something that not a lot of players do have,” Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said on July 24. “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.”

Frank Seravalli can be reached at frank.seravalli@bellmedia.ca.