One of the top offensive defensemen has been scratched off the list of potential unrestricted free agents. The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they inked Andrei Markov to a three-year contract. The financial terms were not disclosed, but he will reportedly earn $17.25 million over the length of the deal, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.
If that’s the case, then Markov’s new contract is identical to the one he just completed. He will turn 36 in December, so his age is increasingly becoming a factor, but he’s coming off of a season where he scored seven goals and 43 points in 81 games. That includes 21 points with the man advantage, which put him in a tie for 11th place among defensemen.
Markov has also been a workhorse for the Canadiens for years and was one of just 11 players to average 25 or more minutes in 2013-14.
With Markov signed, the Canadiens now have roughly $51.4 million in cap space committed to 18 players, per Cap Geek. That leaves them with plenty of space to re-sign restricted free agent P.K. Subban, who is likely to command a lucrative deal after winning the Norris Trophy in 2013 and recording 53 points last season.