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Andrei Markov signs a 2 year deal with AkBars Kazan of the KHL |
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The Markov era has come to an end in Montreal.
Today, the 38 year old Markov announced that he would be taking his talents to AkBars Kazan of the KHL. He had nothing but good things to say about Montreal in his press conference, held at 2 pm EST today, and didn't rule out returning to the Canadiens in the future. But, for now he is done with the Canadiens and the NHL.
Markov began his NHL career with the Canadiens in 2000 and over his 16 year career has produced 119 goals and 453 assists for 572 points in 990 games. He leaves Montreal tied for 2nd in all time points, with Guy Lapointe, 3rd all time in goals, 2nd all time in assists, and 2nd all time in games played. All stats mentioned above are in regards to Canadiens defensemen.
This shouldn't have been the way this ended but the NHL is a business first and foremost and this decision by Marc Bergevin is THE example of that. The rumored asking price by Markov, who represented himself instead of hiring an agent, was apparently around $5.75-$6 million dollars a year for two years. He said in his press conference today that he tried to negotiate a one year deal but even that couldn't be worked out. The Canadiens currently sit at approximately $8.462 million in cap space according to CapFriendly.com and in the last few years Bergevin has typically left himself around $2 million in free space heading into the season. This shows that the Canadiens simply didn't think Markov was worth the price of admission or (and?) Bergevin isn't finished his work this summer and needs a certain amount of cap space for future moves.
Now, my two cents on the matter puts me in the "Let him walk" camp. I understand Markov is a productive player, points wise, but today's NHL (and slowdown due to age/injuries) is leaving him behind. It's my opinion that he has slowed down each of the last 3 years in the second half of the season. He simply isn't worth the money and term.
With Montreal's D pairings looking like Weber/Alzner, Petry/Benn, Streit/Schlemko the place for Markov would have been second or third line. When you consider there is also extra D in Jerabek and Davidson we all should have seen the writing on the wall. Markov was only coming back on Montreals terms and Markov was only playing on his terms.
In a way, Markov was loyal to the Canadiens until the very end. Instead of seeking a contract with another NHL club he simply changed leagues, keeping his legacy as a career Montreal Canadiens intact. Very admirable in my eyes and I truly do wish he could have continued his career in Montreal until his retirement, which he kind of did. But the money just did not make sense for his age and lack of speed. Sooner rather than later Markov would begin to be exposed by speed and a two year contract would look like an anchor. I know he said he would take a one year deal but maybe he should have negotiated around that from the beginning instead of pushing things to the eleventh hour.
The General leaves the Canadiens as one of the best of all time. He owns a legacy that won't be tarnished because of a contract squabble, but it's truly unfortunate he won't reach 1000 NHL games in a Canadiens uniform. I was looking forward to that ceremony. The move to the KHL at least means we will see Markov in the Olympics.
I'm sure there will be a group of Habs fans that will call for Bergevin's head but I don't think it's an appropriate response for losing out on a 38 year old defender. If the center ice position isn't addressed before the season and the Canadiens can't escape the first round again then I'm fairly confident Bergevin will be replaced. But he won't be fired because of losing Markov, and Radulov for that matter. Both of these players leaving certainly has broken a lot of hearts in the fan base, but I don't think the Canadiens are necessarily worse than last year. The addition of Drouin could save Bergevin's Montreal career by itself. Some will say the cost of Sergachev was too high, but you have to look at some of the leagues previous deals like Jones for Johansen or Hall for Larsson. No one is handing out cornerstone F's for free, you must pay to play and in all honesty it's unbelievable that Yzerman dealt an elite forward who hasn't even entered his prime yet for a unproven prospect, albeit a blue chip one.
I wish Markov all the best in the next stage of his career with AkBars Kazan of the KHL and I will always respect him for refusing to put on another NHL jersey. He has been an incredible Montreal Canadien and earned my respect for his efforts to bring success to Montreal. A true leader, even if a silent one, and a future Hall Of Famer. Thank you and bonne chance Andrei Markov.
Follow me on Twitter for Habs/NHL info, @brandonsmillie
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