Canadiens: Four Former Habs Now Producing in Europe

Jiri Sekac

The Jiri Sekac experiment was an interesting part of the Canadiens 2014-15 season, though it didn’t really produce much of note. The three-year KHL veteran had been producing solid to below-average numbers prior to signing with the Canadiens in July of 2014 and produced a modest 16 points in 50 games with Montreal. Despite being named to that season’s all-rookie team, the Canadiens sent Sekac to the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline in exchange for bruising winger Devante Smith-Pelly. He would put up a solid 7 points in 19 games with the Ducks, before producing just 3 points in 22 games the following season.

Sekac was then traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in January of 2016 for Ryan Garbutt, before being claimed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes a month later. Despite being given numerous opportunities, Sekac could never find his rhythm and returned to the KHL after the 2015-16 season. In the time since then, Sekac has found the scoring touch he was lacking in the NHL, producing back to back 40-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, helping his team Kazan Ak-Bars to a Gargarin cup title in the process. Following an off 25-point year with CSKA Moscow, Sekac currently plays for Omsk Avangard alongside fellow former Hab Alexie Emelin.

Alexander Semin

While better known for his time as an elite scorer with the Washington Capitals, Semin did finish his NHL career in Montreal off of a tryout contract in the 2015-16 season. A first round pick of the Capitals in 2002, Semin produced eight seasons with 40 points or more in his 11 seasons in the NHL, including a career-high 84-point season in 2009-10. Despite possessing soft hands, deadly speed and a certifiably elite shot, Semin had issues with work ethic, which only continued in his much-maligned stint with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Canadiens opted to give Semin a chance on a one-year deal worth 1.1$ million, but after posting just 3 points in 15 games had his contract terminated, subsequently returning to Russia. Despite taking the 2017-18 season off to return to school and play in the VHL, the KHL’s AHL equivalent, Semin has become a solid producer once more, playing at a near point-per game pace. Producing 41 and 38 points respectively the past two seasons, Semin helped Magnitogorsk Metallurg to a Gargarin Cup in 2015-16 following his termination. At 36 years old, he currently plays for Podolsk Vityaz.