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McPhee isn’t “necessarily” surprised that Semin is still a UFA

Jason Chimera, Alexander Semin, Karl Alzner

Jason Chimera #25 celebrates with Alexander Semin #28 and Karl Alzner #27 of the Washington Capitals after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers in the second period of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center on May 9, 2012 in Washington, DC. (May 8, 2012 - Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America)

Alexander Semin had 21 goals and 54 points in 2011-12 and that was considered a bad season by his standards.

From a raw statistical perspective, he’s the type of player teams usually trip over to open up their checkbooks for. However, roughly two weeks into the unrestricted free agent process, Semin is still looking for work.

Maybe teams are being scared off by his reputation. Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford expressed an interest in Semin, but on a short-term basis because “we’ve all heard the stories about him.”

There’s also a report that Semin has a very desirable offer from a KHL club, so maybe he’s hoping that if he holds out long enough, an NHL team will offer him something in the same ballpark.

Whatever the case may be, Capitals GM George McPhee offered a leveled reply when asked if he was surprised by the fact that Semin is still an unrestricted free agent.

“Not necessarily,” McPhee said, according to CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley. “It would have to be the right fit for him.”

When asked about the possibility of Semin re-signing with Washington, McPhee was non-committal.

“I’ve never really discussed that sort of thing, whether we’re going to sign someone or not,” McPhee said. “I’d rather not start now. I know that’s not a great answer, but I’ll just stay neutral.”

McPhee should know better than most if the stories that Rutherford has heard about Semin are fair and accurate. Washington should also still have a top-six spot available for him.

Of course, those aren’t the only potential factors that go into signing a player. Semin might simply be seeking more than McPhee has an interest in offering.

One thing is a safe bet though: Whether it’s in the KHL or NHL, Semin will find an employer for the 2012-13 campaign.