Defenceman Andrei Markov will not return to the Montreal Canadiens for the 2017-18 season, the team announced Thursday.
Markov has spent his entire NHL career with the Canadiens after the team drafted him in the sixth round (162nd overall) in 1998. In 2016-17, he registered 36 points in 62 games and moved into a tie for second place on the Canadiens’ all-time list for most points by a defenceman. Through 990 career regular-season games the Russian posted 119 goals and 453 assists for 572 points.
The Canadiens announced Markov will participate in a conference call Thursday afternoon.
Canadiens president and CEO Geoff Molson released the following statement on Markov’s departure:
“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Andrei for his great contributions during his 16 seasons as a proud member of the Montreal Canadiens. Arguably one of the best defensemen in franchise history, Andrei was a model of dedication to the great game of hockey. A respected figure around the league and among his teammates, Andrei demonstrated leadership both on and off the ice. Andrei’s commitment to our franchise was second to none, proven by his overcoming three serious and potentially career-ending injuries. I would like to wish Andrei the best of luck in the next step of his career, and happiness with his family.”
The 38-year-old blueliner had been reportedly seeking a two-year contract with a cap hit in the $6 million range. He was coming off a three-year, $17.25-million deal.
It became clear Markov wouldn’t be returning to the Canadiens earlier this week when the team signed Mark Streit to a one-year deal. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported Wednesday that Markov had yet to actively seek out offers from other teams despite free agency being open for nearly a full month.
Markov is still an effective defenceman, especially in the offensive zone and on the power play, despite being long in the tooth relative to his peers.
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters in early July he didn’t think he’d be able to bring back both Markov and Alexander Radulov–who ended up signing a five-year deal with the Dallas Stars–based on their contract demands.
Bergevin has been one of the busier NHL GMs this off-season. In addition to signing Streit, losing Markov and Radulov, top prospect Mikhail Sergachev was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade that landed them Jonathan Drouin. Nathan Beaulieu was traded to the Buffalo Sabres and David Schlemko was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights after the expansion draft. Bergevin continued revamping his blue line inking Karl Alzner to a five-year contract while also adding free agents Peter Holland, Joe Morrow and Ales Hemsky among others. More importantly, Carey Price signed a lucrative eight-year extension and Alex Galchenyuk re-upped for three years.
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