#7 MONTREAL   After getting knocked out of the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Habs are back to the another stab at the Eastern Conference crown. It won't be any easier this time around as their strengths still seem to be predicated on defense and goaltending while not making any significant addition on offense besides the enigmatic Alex Semin. The main strength lies with Carey Price and PK Subban, who will need to repeat their monster years if Montreal is to have any chance for the grand prize.    Goalies Carey Price captured both Hart and Vezina honors last season with a "one for the ages type of effort": 44 wins, 1.96 GAA, and .933 SP. While a slight regression can be expected, Price is arguably the best fantasy goalie to own. He carries a first round price tag for sure, but he is well worth the investment.     Defense In terms of the fantasy elite on the blue line, PK Subban is better then any NHL defenseman not named Erik Karlsson. The ultra talented rearguard is coming off a 60-point season and has accumulated 151 points since '12-13. With the Habs having to rely on their defenders again for major production, PK should be in line for another stellar season... If you want to draft a borderline no. 1 fantasy defender in the middle rounds, don't forget about Andrei Markov. He had just about the quietest 50-point season ever recorded and considering he had 43 the year before, he has shown few signs of slowing down. A decent late sleeper can be Jeff Petry who wild slot in for top power-play duty if Markov were to get injured.    Forwards  The only sure fantasy thing on offense is LW Max Pacioretty who is their only threat to surpass the 70-point/40-goal mark... This years breakthrough forwards should be Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher. Both will be firmly entrenched in the top six and depended on to complement the scoring of Max Pacioretty... Can Tomas Plekanec repeat his 60+ point effort or will we see a big regression? This guy has been major up and down before but his impending free agent status might help fuel another strong year. Coming off his worst season-19 pts in 57 gms-, new acquisition Alex Semin has plenty of reasons to be motivated after signing a one year contract. Assuming the 31-year old has some left in the tank, there should be modest expectations for a decent rebound if he stays healthy. Major IF though. Take a chance in him late.   Prospects Not much to think about here in terms of immediate fantasy impact as ...

After getting knocked out of the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Habs are back to the another stab at the Eastern Conference crown. It won't be any easier this time around as their strengths still seem to be predicated on defense and goaltending while not making any significant addition on offense besides the enigmatic Alex Semin. The main strength lies with Carey Price and PK Subban, who will need to repeat their monster years if Montreal is to have any chance for the grand prize.    Goalies Carey Price captured both Hart and Vezina honors last season with a "one for the ages type of effort": 44 wins, 1.96 GAA, and .933 SP. While a slight regression can be expected, Price is arguably the best fantasy goalie to own. He carries a first round price tag for sure, but he is well worth the investment.     Defense In terms of the fantasy elite on the blue line, PK Subban is better then any NHL defenseman not named Erik Karlsson. The ultra talented rearguard is coming off a 60-point season and has accumulated 151 points since '12-13. With the Habs having to rely on their defenders again for major production, PK should be in line for another stellar season... If you want to draft a borderline no. 1 fantasy defender in the middle rounds, don't forget about Andrei Markov. He had just about the quietest 50-point season ever recorded and considering he had 43 the year before, he has shown few signs of slowing down. A decent late sleeper can be Jeff Petry who wild slot in for top power-play duty if Markov were to get injured.    Forwards  The only sure fantasy thing on offense is LW Max Pacioretty who is their only threat to surpass the 70-point/40-goal mark... This years breakthrough forwards should be Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher. Both will be firmly entrenched in the top six and depended on to complement the scoring of Max Pacioretty... Can Tomas Plekanec repeat his 60+ point effort or will we see a big regression? This guy has been major up and down before but his impending free agent status might help fuel another strong year. Coming off his worst season-19 pts in 57 gms-, new acquisition Alex Semin has plenty of reasons to be motivated after signing a one year contract. Assuming the 31-year old has some left in the tank, there should be modest expectations for a decent rebound if he stays healthy. Major IF though. Take a chance in him late.   Prospects Not much to think about here in terms of immediate fantasy impact as Nikita Scherbak ...

This past off-season, enigmatic winger Alex Semin had his final three years of a 5-yr $35 million contract bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes. How could this happen to a forward who was amongst the most talented scorers in the NHL just a few years back? The knock on him has always been not elevating his compete level on a consistent basis and not to mention, being way too injury-prone. Predictably enough, a team was willing to take a gamble on him as the Montreal Canadiens snapped him up hoping that he would rediscover his past elite form. Semin now finds himself in a position to cash in on another lucrative pay day if he can reward the Habs with a stellar year and thank them for the one year deal. Have we seen this act before ? Last time he signed for one year, he scored 44 pts in 41 games for Carolina. Then he subsequently tanked when he earned his lofty contract. Where does his present situation leave fantasy owners? He no longer warrants early round consideration, but he has enticing upside if he is indeed motivated again. You could be getting the version of Semin who, from  '06-07 to '11-12, scored 187 goals in 417 games. Boasting the ninth best goal-per-game average over that span, he was a sure-fire top-15 fantasy forward. Those days seem long passed but what about approaching his point-per-game clip during his first season as a Hurricane. His numbers regressed mightily the following season after getting paid, which leaves us with a similar situation this time around. He is sure worth a middle-late round risk that can pay huge dividends if he plays inspired. Expect him to play on a higher level but mounting age and injury concerns which will keep the comeback somewhat modest. Worth a late flier, but don't hold your breath. '15-16 PRIMEPUCKS FANTASY FORECAST: 57GP/ 40PTS  

Semin was a healthy scratch for the last two games (they won both) but will get back into the lineup tonight vs. Columbus. Semin has struggled to start the year, but maybe being scratched will wake him out. He will start on a line with Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty.

Semin served as a healthy scratch in the last two games and surprisingly enough, the Canes recorded their first two victories of the year. With that being the case, Semin will likely have the shortest of leashes heading into tomorrow's clash with the Blue Jackets. We've seen a ton of players respond well to being a healthy scratch, lets see how Semin answers.

Semin skated as an extra in practice on Friday and with a couple healthy bodies coming back on Saturday, head coach Bill Peters is likely scratching Semin. The winger has just two assists in eight games and is a minus-5 over the last four games. He belongs on your bench until he turns things around.

Semin played three of the Hurricanes' seven games in April and sat out the final two. In his second season with the team he had 22 goals and 42 points in 65 games. He was held without a goal or a point in his final six games.

Semin will be replaced by Zach Boychuk, who was recalled this morning.

Semin missed the morning skate this morning and will not play tonight because of an illness. He will be replaced by Zach Boychuk.

Semin has reportedly been battling an illness since Tuesday. Not taking part in the morning skate suggests that the Hurricanes could be without the Russian sniper tonight. Monitor his status leading up to puck-drop.