I like him. Big man with calm feet and he's a plus player. Hasn't played really tough minutes but he also isn't playing the softest minutes on the team.
His offense didn't come with him from junior, imo he'll probably end up doing a little better than he has so far when the game slows down for him. Remember, he hasn't played 100 NHL games yet.
He needs to play with more of an edge or he's going to be in the pressbox some nights again this winter. MacT talked about "twin towers" with Pronger and Alexei on the blueline, but I don't buy it. Semenov might get that kind of chance in camp, but it's very unlikely he (or Bergeron) will spend much time on the top 4 (Pronger, Smith, Staios, I'd guess Ulanov who has been very effective, maybe Cross).
Semenov is the likely candidate to be elevated into the top 4, and that could happen as the season wears on. Obviously we haven't seen these guys in a year and he may have matured a little since 03-04.
But last time we saw him Semenov had all the tools to be an effective Dman in the NHL. Size, calm feet, has mobility. He lacks some intensity, needs a mean streak, and that will keep him 5-7 on the depth chart.
jmo