Alex Semin signs lockout deal with low-level Russian club

Former Washington Capital Alexander Semin is the latest NHL player to flee to Russia during the lockout. However, Semin, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason, isn't headed to the KHL, Russia's rival to the NHL, but a minor league team in his hometown that will pay him roughly $1,600 a month, according to one report.

The 28-year-old left wing has long been considered a threat to leave for the KHL regardless of the NHL labor issues, writes CBS Sports. So it seems that Semin's deal with the VHL's Krasnoyarsk Falcon for the league minimum is merely a deal to get the Russian back home so he can better position himself for a long-term KHL contract.

Or ... maybe not:

Semin told Russian paper Sport-Express he signed w/ Krasnoyarsk & not in KHL was bc he wanted to play in front of his 90yr-old grandmother.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) September 25, 2012

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