After an extended period on the free-agent market, the Montreal Canadiens have announced that Andrei Markov will not return next season.
Andrei Markov will not be back with the Canadiens for the 2017-18 season.
DETAILS -> https://t.co/a4aZPNXDfg pic.twitter.com/IUYG3ouUDg
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 27, 2017
After a run of healthy years, he dealt with his first injury adversity since 2011-12 last season, playing only 62 games. In those games he recorded 36 points, which was tied for second among Habs defencemen, behind Shea Weber, and was the 38th-best total among NHL blue-liners.
Markov has been one of the best defencemen in Canadiens history and will speak to the media during a conference call later today. It is not known whether the defenceman will sign with another team for next season.
This leaves a hole on the left side of the Montreal defence, but it seems the team is content with Mark Streit, Jakub Jerabek, Karl Alzner, Jordie Benn, and Brandon Davidson going into the season, barring what they do with the $8.5 million in cap space they still have.
